May 10, 2008
Dear Members,
It has been a long time since
we have communicated. Fault is mine. I have been rather preoccupied in
furthering the functioning of the society, but you all are aware that alone I
cannot achieve much. Members are still to get a complete hang of the web site.
Our web site is not great but it does provide some thought provoking ideas. One
has to be interactive, and the discussion forum has to be made full use of.
Unfortunately I find not many people using the forum.
List of members are available
on the site. I am sure addresses are not up to date. Therefore all members are
requested to visit the web site and write an email to the secretary of the
society (baghotia@yahoo.com, or slodelhi@hotmail.com), with an endorsement to
the web master (kamal.bhakuni@gmail.com) so that latest addresses are put on the
site. It is important to be in touch, and in regular communication.
You can open your mail on
medwasteind.org by
going to the web mail at
http://webmail.medwasteind.org and use your ID and password to access your
email on the medwasteind web site. The password will be the same which was
issued some time ago, during the launch of the revised (new) web site after
ISHWM CON 2006.
Recently, the Delhi Govt, Dept
of Health had constituted an independent committee to go into the complaints of
residents of Sukhdev Vihar against working of a nearby biomedical waste
incinerator. President ISHWM was appointed the chairman of the committee. Final
report has been submitted.
Membership drive is on and all
members are requested to approach their friends, and colleagues to become
members of ISHWM. Now the membership is not restricted only the doctors, nurses,
and paramedics, but is open to all who have interest in BMW management, and have
done some work in the area of BMW management, or at least have some vision and
concern. Point is that we have to carry the movement of BMW management forward,
and that can be achieved by making the scientific platform broad based. The
society has about 280 members now. Aim should be to have at least 300 members by
the next annual conference due in Nov 2008. Form can be downloaded from the web
site, completed and sent to the secretary at the address mentioned on the form.
We are passing through a
transitional phase in the sense that core appearance of the society is becoming
more and more countrywide. Large number of medical professionals, engineers, and
other professionals in the civil are joining now. This is a good trend, and will
truly make ISHWM a national society.
Next annual conference has been
planned in the month of November. Exact date and venue are to be finalised. But
do not wait for the first announcement. Please put on your thinking cap and
start writing papers, articles, case studies etc. for the forthcoming
conference. Also, you may put forward points you think would be relevant and
appropriate to be included in the agenda for the next conference.
The society does not have any
regular income. Thus it is becoming more and more difficult to run the
administrative set up, more so when we have to manage on our own (earlier office
used to be located at one of the Service HQ). Therefore we have to think of some
means to have regular income to meet the office expenses. Suggestions are
invited.
From the next conference ‘best
paper award’ has been instituted. Details are available at the web site. I
request all members to take full advantage of the scheme, and participate in
large numbers. There is a thinking to start Hon Fellowship to acknowledge people
who have made substantial contribution to the society – either members, or
non-members. Suggestions are invited.
Gradually more and more
healthcare facilities (HCF) are realising the importance of BMW management, and
its role in infection control. Awareness amongst the general public has also
improved. Therefore, in the future, greater involvement of ISHWM may be
required, and the members have to remain geared up for future requirement.
Concept development is one of
the natural fields in any scientific community. So is the case in BMW
management. We may have developed concepts for BMW management for hospitals etc.
but hardly any work has been done for development of concepts and protocols for
the rural areas, dispensaries, blood banks, diagnostic laboratories etc. Apart
from everything else concepts may also be thought for BMW management in disaster
situations. I am sure as we go along these aspects will be addressed by the
members and experts in the society. I shall certainly love to have some movement
in these directions.
Jaihind!
Lalji K Verma
President, ISHWM
New Delhi
May10, 2008