Hospital are supposed to safeguard health of the community. However, waste produced by the hospital, if disposed off improperly can pose even greater threat than the original diseases themselves. It has serious implications for public health and the general environment. Hospital usually generate 1-2 KG per bed of hospital waste daily. Approximately 250,000 tones of hospital waste is produced per year. Poorly managed hospital waste is regarded by general public as an indicator of poor standard of health care.
A very injurious component of the hospital waste is the INFECTIOUS WASTE, which can cause very serious diseases like Hepatitis B & C, AIDS, Typhoid, boils etc. Another harmful type is RADIOACTIVE WASTE which has the potential to cause Cancer. The impact of hospital waste may be reduced by introducing a process of hospital waste management.
Why Hospital Waste Management ??
Mandatory by law to enforce Hospital Waste Management Rules and non-Compliance exposes the hospital to criminal liability.
- To protect the environment.
- To protect public health and safety.
- To protect the hospital staff as well as the municipal staff.
- To reduce volume of waste produced.
- To render toxic waste into a safe waste.
- To prevent contamination of soil and ground water.
- To prevent harmful emissions e.g. Dioxin, Furans, etc because of uncontrolled burning of toxic waste.
Hospital Waste Solutions
- Conducting Environmental Audit of the hospitals through latest software, and design a Waste Management Plan (WMP) in the light of said audit.
- Setting up a comprehensive Waste Management System to achieve effective, safe and environment friendly management of hospital waste.
- Establishment of performance standards and indicators to assess the effectiveness of hospital waste management.
- Providing guidance in the constitution of Waste Management Teams (WMT) and defining the responsibilities & duties of each member.
- Providing guidelines for waste minimization.
- Formulating policies and procedures to mitigate the environmental impact of waste treatment & disposal.
- Suggesting the best technology e.g. Incinerator, Autoclave etc for environment friendly disposal of waste.
- Establishing a continuing waste management training program to observe healthy practices.
- Fostering commitment from all staff and management to observe healthy practices.
- Monitoring & Review performance of WMP and suggesting necessary modifications.
This Article is Written by “Osama bin Fayaz” Guest Author At Envirocivil.com
