A safe and clean environment is the groundwork for the healthcare sector that can be managed through medical waste disposal. According to WHO, medical garbage is very few, i.e., only 2-3% of total waste produced in our surroundings. But it is undoubtedly hazardous.
However, to protect the health and environment, there should be proper biomedical waste management. It serves the healthcare sector by gaining the trust of patients with its clean and managed environment.
Not only that, it also helps to protect the ecosystem and creatures living here.
In this article, we will get familiar with the concept of biomedical waste disposal, its types, and its importance. Let’s dive in!
What is Medical Waste Disposal and its Types?
In simple words, you can understand biomedical waste disposal as a subset of waste that’s generated from healthcare facilities. Out of the total biomedical waste, around 85% of it is non-hazardous, and 15% is hazardous. We can find microorganisms, bacteria, viruses, drugs, and radiological materials in hazardous waste.
You can get two treatment technologies to sterilize the infectious organism; they are either by using heat or chemical agents.
So, without further ado, let’s get familiar with five types of biomedical waste:
- Chemical Waste: You can remember chemical waste as a hazardous waste. We can find different kinds of chemicals in this waste that are harmful to the environment and our health. For example, radioactive materials, research chemicals, mercury, etc.
- Infectious Waste: You can find infectious microorganisms, bacteria, viruses, and fungi in this biomedical waste. It is generated from the use of materials in the healthcare industry. For example, used dressings and bandages, animal waste, surgical blood, and more.
- Sharps: Sharps are objects or devices with sharp points that our healthcare professionals use. Due to their sharp nature, if they’re not disposed of properly, they might cause serious health issues to the general public. For example, needles, syringes, lancets, scalpel blades, broken glass, etc.
- General Waste: You can simply remember these kinds of waste as non-hazardous waste. As it doesn’t contain serious materials or materials with blood or bacteria, you can dispose of it like normal waste. For example, food waste, medication, boxes, non-contaminated equipment, and more.
- Pathological Waste: If you find human or animal body parts in a waste, it is a pathological waste. However, it doesn’t include teeth. For example, body parts, tissues, organs, body fluids, and more.
Importance of Disposing of Medical Garbage
Health facilities are something that we all need to sustain a healthy and long life. Almost every individual goes to a hospital, clinic, or pharmacy once in their lifetime.
So, it is really necessary for us as an individual to dispose of the medical garbage in the right way so no one has to suffer. If there is proper disposal, both human life and the environment can be preserved.
Here, we’ve selected and listed down some of the significance of disposing of biomedical garbage.
Control the Infection
Lack of bio medical waste disposal can cause infectious diseases due to infected bodily fluids. This infection is then transmitted to healthcare professionals and patients. As a result, they go through even more health issues.
However, if the waste is managed properly, it prevents the widespread of viruses. Not only that, this action causes less harm to the general public, which leads to an increase in their trust in the healthcare sector.
Conserve and Protect the Environment
We need an environment to live in, so it’s our responsibility to conserve and protect it. A lack of proper biomedical waste management can risk the lives of different people and creatures living here. This way, the habitat of all living things will be the way it is.
Also, the global warming caused due to pollution is leading to the extinction of wildlife. All in all, if we create a contamination-free environment, we can save our planet and the creatures living here.
Safety of Healthcare Workers and Patients
Healthcare patients can stay healthy if the workers are healthy. If the hospital environment is contaminated, they won’t be able to work. As a result, general patients and the public can’t get access to healthcare facilities, which will lead to uncountable deaths.
So, in order to make the healthcare workers and patients healthy, it’s important to keep the hospital and nearby clean. It can be possible if we work towards the proper disposal of garbage using the right method.
Legal Compliance:
You can find different sets of rules and regulations to dispose of biomedical waste. If you don’t follow the rules, you’ll be penalized. So, in order to stay safe from paying unnecessary penalties, you need to be responsible while disposing of waste.
Reduce Risk and Accidents
We can see organs, body parts, sharps, needles, syringes, and other hazardous chemicals in biomedical waste. Moreover, we need to dispose of it properly to make sure it doesn’t come in contact with the general public. So, in order to reduce the risk of accidents, we’d suggest you do proper disposal of biomedical garbage.
Improve Public Health
The environment we live in is related directly or indirectly to our health status. Due to our lack of proper disposal of biomedical waste, there is air pollution, soil pollution, water pollution, and more. This is degrading the health condition of people.
We need to manage the disposal of biomedical waste using the right method to create a clean environment and improve general public health.
Conclusion
We’d suggest you dispose of every biomedical waste responsibly, even those that are claimed to be non-hazardous. By doing this, we’ll be able to live in a bacteria, virus free environment. Also, it will lead to the good health of medicinal professionals, patients, and the general public.
There are several courses and videos online that will guide us will detailed information about the way to categorize medical waste. If we learn it, we’ll be able to dispose of the waste properly without affecting our environment.
Hence, we’d like to conclude by saying that we need to take the necessary actions to live in a clean, healthy, and safe environment.