Management of hospital waste plays a crucial role in various aspects of
healthcare operations. Hospital waste management consists of a
systematic approach of waste handling, segregation of waste at source,
selection of appropriate treatment methods based on the type of
medical waste and disposal of waste originated at healthcare settings.
It is mandatory to understand the risk of waste generated from several
sources from hospital environment which causes serious threats to the
public health. Knowledge about the management of hospital waste is
very much required to protect the health of patients, hospital
employees and visitors to save from dangerous environmental
consequences.
In general, hospitals generate a variety of waste consists of a range of
hazardous and toxic in nature with infectious materials which needs
special handling. Biomedical waste is sorted and categorized into
distinct types including general waste, sharps waste, materials capable
to spread infections, pathological waste, radioactive waste, genotoxic
waste, pharmaceutical waste, chemical waste and non hazardous waste
A keen attention is required on improper disposal of hospital waste
which causes spread of infectious diseases, environmental
contamination, needle-stick injuries to hospital workers can pose the
transmission pathways of bloodborne diseases through contact with
contaminated blood and other bodily fluids which includes Hepatitis B
(HBV), Hepatitis C (HCV) and Human Immunodeficiency Virus(HIV).
Improper disposal of expired pharmaceutical waste can lead to
groundwater contamination, causes spread of antibiotic-resistant
bacteria. Chemicals utilized for sterilization can be corrosive, toxic,
and reactive creates threat to human health and the environment, if
not handled effectively. The risk for public safety will be high, if
hospital waste was not treated and disposed into the municipal waste
systems and in open dumps, it can harm the health of public directly.
The best practices to mitigate the risk of public health includes, waste
segregation such as infectious, non infectious, hazardous categories
with usage of colour coded bins for easy identification and can
minimize the issue of cross contamination, enhances the efficiency of
hospital waste management, handling and treatment, periodic waste
collection to prevent the excessive accumulation of waste, proper
disposal of waste with adequate waste management infrastructure,
treatment of medical waste in order to neutralize the chemicals and
control harmful pathogens with treatment methods like autoclaving,
incineration, and chemical treatments, providing regular training
programs and awareness to healthcare workers, safe and secure
storage of waste in labelled containers to prevent waste leakage,
transportation of medical waste through dedicated vehicles to prevent
accidents, injuries, spills and can reduce the risk of environmental
exposure, hospitals need to adhere the national and international
regulatory compliance for disposal and treatment of medical waste. The
regulatory compliance are framed to ensure the community health
safety from hazardous materials and environmental protection.
Effective hospital waste management practices can reduce the soil and
water contamination, air pollution, apart from potential public health
benefits.
By keeping in mind the significance of healthcare, an individual
citizen, hospitals and healthcare workers can come forward to work
together and contribute for effective implementation of waste
management strategies for safeguarding the public health, ensuring for
sustainable future generations through the adoption of reduce, reuse,
and recycle the waste to reduce the pollution, minimize the health
risk, protecting and conserving the ecosystems and natural resources
for a better healthier planet.
