"Bio-Medical Waste Management” A Case Study at Bidar City Hospital’s

Author(s):

Prof. Puneeth Kumar , Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College, Bidar; Dr. Ashok H Biradar, Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College, Bidar; Dr. B B Kori, Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College, Bidar; Amreeta Pawar, Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College, Bidar

Keywords:

Incineration, Segregation

Abstract:

Advances in medical facilities with the introduction of sophisticated instruments have increased the waste generation per patient in health care units. It is the waste that is generated during the diagnosis, treatment or immunization of human beings or animals or in research activities pertaining there to, or in the production or testing of biological components. According to the Government of India as contemplated under section 6,8 and 25 of the Environment (Protection)Act,1986,has made the Biomedical Waste (Management & Handling) Rules,1998 applicable to every institution generating biomedical waste which includes hospitals, nursing homes, clinic, dispensary, veterinary institutions, animal houses, pathological lab, blood bank ,the rules are applicable to even handlers. The process of handling biomedical waste includes segregation, transportation with suitable treatment method as incineration, deep burial, autoclaving, microwave treatment. The preference of which pertains to the category and characteristics of Bio medical waste. Although Bio medical waste includes a percent of hazardous waste, there exists an equal competent method of treatment. During the study, it was observed that: (i) the personnel working under the occupier(who has control over the institution to take all steps to ensure biomedical waste is handled without any adverse effects to human health and the environment) were trained to take adequate precautionary measures in handling these bio-hazardous waste materials, (ii) the process of segregation, collection, transport, storage and final disposal of infectious waste was done in compliance with the Standard Procedures, (iii) the final disposal was by incineration in accordance to EPA Rules 1998, This hospital also extends its facility to the neighboring clinics and hospitals by collecting their produced waste for various treatment.