China intends to amend the law to strengthen the management of medical wastes in major epidemic diseases
Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, April 26 (Reporter Gao Jing) The third draft of the revised draft of the Law on the Prevention and Control of Environmental Pollution by Solid Wastes was submitted to the 17th meeting of the Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress on the 26th for consideration. The third review of the revised draft has effectively strengthened the management of medical waste, especially in the process of responding to major infectious diseases.
At present, the timely treatment of medical waste is an important part of the new coronary pneumonia epidemic. Some members of the Standing Committee, deputies to the National People's Congress, departments, localities and the general public suggest that on the basis of summing up experience, more specific regulations should be made for medical waste. The third review of the revised draft clarifies that medical waste is managed according to the National Hazardous Waste List. The local people's government at or above the county level shall strengthen the capacity building for centralized disposal of medical waste.
The third review of the revised draft clarifies the supervisory responsibilities. The competent departments of health, ecology and environment of the people's government at or above the county level should strengthen the supervision and management of the collection, storage, transportation and disposal of medical waste within their respective responsibilities to prevent endangering public health and polluting the environment.
With regard to the main responsibility, the third review draft of the revised draft stipulates that medical and health institutions should collect medical wastes generated by their units in accordance with the law and hand them over to the centralized medical waste disposal unit for disposal. Units for centralized disposal of medical waste shall collect, transport and dispose of medical waste in a timely manner. Medical and health institutions and medical waste centralized disposal units shall take effective measures to prevent the loss, leakage and spread of medical waste.
At the same time, the third draft of the revised draft stipulates that when major emergencies such as epidemics occur, people's governments at or above the county level shall coordinate and coordinate the collection, storage, transportation, and disposal of hazardous wastes such as medical wastes to ensure the required vehicles and venue , Disposal facilities and protective materials.
In addition, the third review draft of the revised draft proposes that people's governments at all levels should arrange the necessary funds for emergency treatment of medical waste and other hazardous waste generated by emergencies such as major infectious disease epidemics in accordance with the principle of division of power.
It is reported that the third review draft of the revised draft also provides for the coordination of urban and rural domestic waste classification management, construction waste pollution prevention and resource utilization, reduction and recycling of packaging materials, and strengthening laboratory solid waste management.