The biomedical waste generated from hospitals causes 10-15 per cent infections in Andhra Pradesh, revealed a survey released by Multipurpose Awareness Society in Hyderabad.

There are about 6600 hospitals across Andhra Pradesh generating 2166 tonnes of bio-hazard waste every day. Most of these hospitals are resorting to inappropriate methods and letting the hazardous waste either in the regular drainages or disposing them in open bins along with solid wastes.

According to Boda Nageswar, president of Multipurpose Awareness Society, majority of hospitals in the state are unmindful of the environment and throw their biomedical hazardous wastes in open bins and waste water drains without treating it, because of which 10-15 per cent of infections are caused by the bio hazardous wastes in the state. “With no proper training to hospital staff and no dedicated work force to pick and dispose biomedical waste generated in the hospitals, there is a high risk of infections caused by used up needles and blades,” said Nageswar.

The city of Hyderabad which houses over 1000 small and medium clinics, nursing homes and super speciality hospitals is the largest producer of bio hazardous wastes in the state.

As per the Hospital Biomedical Waste Hazard Act 1998 all the hospitals should collect and segregate the bio-hazardous wastes and pack it in separate boxes or bags before disposing them off.

Usually hospitals generate different kinds of wastes from outpatient, inpatient, emergency wards and operation theatres. The wastes generated in the testing laboratories also add to it. Most of the biomedical hazardous wastes constitute used-up needles, blades, stained bandages, used-up IV fluid pipes, polythene bags, apart from wastes like cut-off body parts, etc.

According to the Biomedical Wastes Hazard Act, all the generated waste from the hospitals should be segregated and accordingly packed in white, red and yellow boxes or bags and should be marked in bold ‘bio-hazard-waste’ on the pack before disposing it off. All such wastes should be first disintegrated using incinerators, autoclaves and microwaves before burying them in the soil.

Environmentalists and Pollution control experts opined that as more and more hospitals are coming up in the state, the state government along with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and hospitals should create more awareness about the biomedical hazards and at the same time the hospitals should also create awareness and employ well trained dedicated staff to dispose the bio hazardous wastes appropriately.