The Bio-Medical Waste (handling and disposal) rules would be applicable to all parts of Maharashtra from December 30. So far, only cities like Mumbai, Pune, and Nagpur amongst others followed the rules for disposal of medical waste.

The Bombay Nursing Home Registration Act would be renamed as Maharashtra Clinical Establishment Act. The Act was presently applicable only to Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur and Kolhapur. The Act would henceforth include the registration of hospitals, blood banks and dispensaries, too. This bill is likely to be passed by the forthcoming session of the parliament, said Dr Devendra Shirole, vice president of Pune branch of the Indian Medical Association.

He was speaking to medical practitioners present at a daylong seminar about the rules at the seminar on medical profession and law organized by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) and National Institute of Ophthalmology.

The seminar also addressed the issue of an alternative to incineration as a means of disposal of bio-medical waste. The doctors present at the seminar have decided upon suggesting other options like vermiculture to the Pune Municipal Corporation. In her presidential address Sandhya Kulkarni, Additional President of Pune District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum revealed the fact that 73 medico legal cases were being heard by the court out of which 34 have been decided.