Medical Waste Disposal

   Bio-medical waste is defined as waste that is generated during the diagnosis, treatment or immunization of human beings and are contaminated with patients’ body fluids (such as syringes, needles, ampules).

The Ministry of Environment & Forests notified the Biomedical Waste (management & handling) Rules, 1998" in July 1998. In accordance with the rules, every hospital generating BMW needs to set up requisite BMW treatment facilities on site or ensure requisite treatment of waste at common treatment facility.Some of them are:

1. Autoclave

2. INCINERATION

3. SHARPS WASTE

4. Needle remover

5. LANDFILLS

WASTE DISPOSAL IN KMC HOSPITAL

A Study was conducted by the team at the Kasturba Hospital, Manipal. Following are the gathered points:

•      Biomedical waste disposal is outsourced to external authorized agent “Ramky foundation”.

•      A van belonging to them collects waste every afternoon. Waste is treated at location about 30 km away.

•      Till about 6 years ago the hospital operated an incinerator, after outsourcing waste disposal it was decommissioned.

•      Auto clave is used by various labs for sterilization of  reusable instruments, but pre-disposable waste is not used in autoclave.

•      The type of x-ray machine and CT scan used by KMC does not produce any radioactive waste.

•      Radioactive waste is however generated by the  department of nuclear medicine.