Bio-medical waste disposal rules amended

New Delhi, July 25 (IANS) The rules pertaining to handling of bio-medical waste in the country have been amended for the safety of the population, parliament was told Friday.

Under the new amended rules, the repackaging and sale of used medical equipment like syringes, needles, saline bottles and vials is not permitted, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan told the Lok Sabha in response to a question.

The responsibility for implementation of these rules, however, lies with state pollution control boards or committees, he added.

Harsh Vardhan said as far as the three central government hospitals located in Delhi are concerned, no such incident of careless disposal of bio-medical waste has come to light.

In these hospitals, auto-disposable syringes are being used, he added.