Biomedical Waste Management Practices at King George's Medical University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India - A 3000-Bed Tertiary Care Hospital

Abstract

Biomedical Waste Management (BMWM) is an integral part of infection control and hygiene programs in healthcare settings. Biomedical waste poses serious threats to environmental health and requires specific treatment and management prior to its final disposal. This study investigated the status of BMWM practices (segregation, collection, transportation, storage and final disposal) and quantification of wastes generated in King George's Medical University (KGMU), a 100 year-old, tertiary care institute in Lucknow, North India. The results of this study revealed that biomedical waste is segregated at the point of generation, which reduces the quantity of incinerable waste. Infectious waste generated in the hospital is about 19-20% of total waste generated of which only 4-5% waste is disposed of by incineration. The remaining percentage of infectious wastes (plastic, glass and sharps) is first treated in the hospital waste treatment facility. All infectious plastic waste is treated by autoclaving to make them noninfectious, than shredded into small pieces and finally sent to an authorized recycler. KGMU establishes a foolproof BMWM setup that ensures its proper collection, transportation, storage and disposal as per norms.

Permanent URL: http://hdl.handle.net/2047/d20003386