KGMU to be awarded for developing model bio-medical waste management practices

King George Medical University’s bio-medical waste management system has received ‘Special Recognition Award’ from United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) and World Health Organisation (WHO),for developing model bio-medical waste management practices.

The award will be presented by Jack Weinberg,senior policy advisor ,UNDP Global Healthcare Waste Management Project and Mrs Payden,World Health Organisation South East Asia Regional Office on Tuesday in Lucknow. KGMU was a part of the UNDP project ‘Global Healthcare Waste Management’ which supported initiatives to create model bio-medical waste management programmes in hospitals and healthcare institutions in seven countries including Argentina,India,Latvia,Lebanon,Philippines,Senegal and Vietnam. The Indian component of the project was executed by the Ministry of Environment and Forests,Government of India. The university was selected for the recognition for creating the best state-of-the-art,sustainable model institution for sound bio-medical waste management practices amongst all the hospitals the project supported. Under the project,a steering committee was formed including nodal officers of each department at the university and training for proper disposal of bio-medical waste was imparted to doctors,paramedical and class IV employees including sweepers over two-and-a-half years.

“The project was started in 2010,before which the hospital had no facility for bio-medical waste management. In the past two-and-a-half years,we have not only managed to implement a waste management system in the entire hospital,but have also managed to turn it into a model system,” said Dr Anupam Wakhlu,member of the project steering committee at the university.