The Jammu and Kashmir Pollution Control Board (“SPCB”), in December 2019, had issued a document for implementation and allocation of bar codes to health care facilities in the State.
As per the Bio-medical Waste Management Rules, 2016 it is stipulated that every Health Care Facility (“HCF”) is imposed with the duty to establish a Bar Code system for bags or containers containing biomedical waste (“BMW”) to be sent out of the premises for further treatment and disposal.
Objective of the Bar Code system:
- Tracking of biomedical waste from source of generation to intended destination for final treatment and disposal;
- A daily check on the occupier, transporter who is involved in the transportation of bio-medical waste within HCF as well as transportation of bio-medical waste from HCF to the Common Bio Medical Waste Treatment Facility (“CBMWTF”);
- iii. Preventing pilferage of bio-medical waste at HCFs as well as during transportation of waste from HCF to the CBMWTF;
- Keeping record of visits made by CBMWTF to the member HCFs for collection of waste;
- Identification of source of generation of bio-medical waste if the waste is disposed of improperly;
- Quantification of segregated bio-medical waste generated and waste collected daily by the Operator of a CBMWTF from the member HCFs, for further treatment and disposal.
Further, the system will help in creating real time online monitoring of waste generation, collection, transportation, treatment and disposal.
Types of Bar Code Labelling:
The Bar Code or Quick Response (QR) Code can be either pre-printed directly or pasted on the designated colour coded bags/containers. In both the cases, the containers can be obtained by the HCF either through the operator of a CBMWTF providing treatment services to the HCF or through a vendor.
Specifications of Bar-code or QR Code label:
The Document further lays down the following specifications of a Bar Code Label:
- Colour mark on the label;
- Unique Number of the HCF and its specification (which includes the name of the HCF, its location, the type of HCF.
Further, the district wise allocation of the Bar Codes in Jammu and Kashmir are also given in the document.
Source: Jammu & Kashmir Pollution Control Board
