Biomedical Waste Management in Patna, Bihar

Abstract

There is an estimation that more than 700 biomedical waste generators are in Patna. These include hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, laboratories, funeral homes, dentists and veterinarians. Patna has several major hospitals. Hundreds of nursing homes and clinics have mushroomed in various residential colonies. Besides these dispensaries, local practitioner's shops and veterinary hospitals are also there to cure ailing people and animals. These aseptic sanatoriums are visited by thousands of people every day ranging from sick children to accident victims to get cured. It has been observed during the survey of health care centers/facilities that medical institutions generate huge quantities of dangerous and infectious biomedical wastes. Many hospitals just dump their biomedical wastes in the common municipal garbage bin outside the hospital posing grave danger to community residing in surrounding areas in general and rag pickers in particulars, besides considerably affecting environment. Study has shown that lack of facilities for disposal of hospital waste and improper use of incinerator in hospitals and nursing homes pose a major environment problem in Patna. Most of the hospitals and nursing homes, surveyed in Patna depend on the municipal corporation to dispose their garbage and have no disposal system of their own. There are total 11 hospitals,1 blood bank and 5 pathological labs are taken under study, these hospitals are of various classes means 4 are of governmental category, 2 are of charitable,1 is military and rest 4 are of private type.