<p>The five-year project will be implemented in Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Punjab, with Bangalore's M.S. Ramaiah Medical College acting as national implementation body, UN Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) said in a news release Thursday.<br />Four large, eight medium and 16 small hospitals in each state will benefit from the project.<br />"Every year, over 300,000 tons of medical waste is generated in India," said Kandeh K. Yumkella, director-general of the agency that promotes industrial development for poverty reduction and environmental sustainability.<br />"UNIDO's environmentally-friendly project will help effectively manage and dispose of hazardous medical waste."<br />Yumkella, who was on a week-long visit to India, also urged the private sector to actively participate. "To achieve an eco-friendly disposal of bio-waste, we not only need to train people to be conscious of quality, we also need the participation of the private sector," he said.<br />"In Western countries, private businesses often deal with the disposal of bio-medical waste, which allows hospitals to focus on medical issues."<br />The project will help reduce persistent organic pollutants (POPs), especially dioxins and furans that are generated when bio-medical waste is not incinerated at the prescribed high temperatures of over 1000 degrees Celsius. This will be achieved by introducing non-burn technologies like microwave and autoclave.<br /></p>
<p>The five-year project will be implemented in Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Punjab, with Bangalore's M.S. Ramaiah Medical College acting as national implementation body, UN Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) said in a news release Thursday.<br />Four large, eight medium and 16 small hospitals in each state will benefit from the project.<br />"Every year, over 300,000 tons of medical waste is generated in India," said Kandeh K. Yumkella, director-general of the agency that promotes industrial development for poverty reduction and environmental sustainability.<br />"UNIDO's environmentally-friendly project will help effectively manage and dispose of hazardous medical waste."<br />Yumkella, who was on a week-long visit to India, also urged the private sector to actively participate. "To achieve an eco-friendly disposal of bio-waste, we not only need to train people to be conscious of quality, we also need the participation of the private sector," he said.<br />"In Western countries, private businesses often deal with the disposal of bio-medical waste, which allows hospitals to focus on medical issues."<br />The project will help reduce persistent organic pollutants (POPs), especially dioxins and furans that are generated when bio-medical waste is not incinerated at the prescribed high temperatures of over 1000 degrees Celsius. This will be achieved by introducing non-burn technologies like microwave and autoclave.<br /></p>