Bio-medical waste management processes and practices adopted by select hospitals in Pune

Abstract

The 21st century is said to have been a particularly eventful century with spectacular changes all around the world. The population is on a steady rise and as expected this rise in inhabitants has resulted in the need for the best-in-class medical facilities. This study has been undertaken to explore biomedical waste management process, practices and disposal chain adopted by selected hospitals with special reference to the city of Pune, India. There is a mandate laid down by the Government of India for the Bio-Medical waste (BMW) with regard to its proper management, collection, segregation, storage, disposal and incineration of medical waste in private as well as public hospitals. The secondary study has indicated multiple issues associated with waste handling and management, which led to healthcare and hygiene implications. So as a part of this study researcher's aim to answer whether it is unawareness or negligence which is leading to such causalities. Also, are the processes & practices adopted at Public & Private sector hospitals varies significantly or not? A checklist was prepared to study the BMW Management process and practices followed by different hospitals in Pune City of India. The results showed a significant difference between their process & practice of Biomedical Waste Management. Also, random sampling about knowledge of BMW showed that government hospitals and their healthcare staff are casual in their approach towards implementing the Biomedical Waste Management process as compared to private sector hospital.