IMAGE to manage biomedical waste at exam centres

Teachers on school exam duty asked to use surgical gloves

IMAGE (Indian Medical Association Goes Eco-friendly) will be managing the biomedical waste generated at the SSLC, Plus One and Plus Two examination centres in the State in the backdrop of the COVID-19 threat. This follows the direction for using surgical gloves by all teachers who will be on examination duty.

Students in quarantine will also be taking the examinations. Gloves are prescribed as teachers will be touching the answer sheets.

According to Sharafudeen K.P., secretary, IMAGE, Common Biomedical Waste Treatment and Disposal Facility, the General Education Department has requested IMAGE to handle the waste that would be generated at the 3,000 plus examination centres.

It is learnt that both latex and the non-recyclable nitrile golves (blue gloves) will be provided for use. While IMAGE will handle the latex gloves, the blue gloves will be handed over to KEIL, the toxic sold disposal facility, Kalamassery, after disinfecting them at IMAGE Plant.

Gloves have been procured by Kerala Medical Services Corporation Ltd. According to Dr. Sharafudeen, there is no technology to dispose the blue gloves being imported from China.

The barcoded and colour coded bags separately for use on each day of examination were supplied by Monday. An estimated five lakh surgical gloves would be disposed by IMAGE, said Dr. Sharafudeen.

Waste from COVID wards

Meanwhile, IMAGE had been collecting over three tonnes of biomedical waste across the State, a spike that has happened in recent times, as the number of active COVID-19 cases had increased.

Compared to the usual 250 to 500 gm of biomedical waste generated per bed, a SARS-CoV-2 patient generates nearly 14 kg of biomedical waste.

This includes the personal protection equipment worn by the health-care professionals and cleaning workers attending to the patient’s needs.

The biomedical waste generated in hospitals had come down by more than 10 tonnes to 30 tonnes a day during the lockdown. However, with hospitals restarting services, the waste generated has gone up to 38 tonnes a day.

The capacity of the IMAGE Plant in Kanjikode is 42 tonnes a day. So far there had been no backlog of waste disposal, said Dr. Sharafudeen. However, if the number of SARS-CoV-2 patients continued to increase, there could be a backlog in disposing the waste, he added.

On May 24, the total collection of biomedical waste was 3,229 kg.