Upsurge in biomedical waste due to COVID-19 in India: A statistical correlation, challenges and recommendations
Proper management of Biomedical Waste (BMW) is an essential component of any sustainable healthcare sector. With the burst of COVID-19 pandemic when every hospital and treatment facility was overburdened patients, efficient handling of the huge amount of generated BMW became a task for the entire wo...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-12-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Environmental Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2022.1022098/full |
| _version_ | 1797985428824915968 |
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| author | Ritu Khosla Ashima Jha Shweta Dua Shivani G. Varmani Namita Rajput Balaram Pani |
| author_facet | Ritu Khosla Ashima Jha Shweta Dua Shivani G. Varmani Namita Rajput Balaram Pani |
| author_sort | Ritu Khosla |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Proper management of Biomedical Waste (BMW) is an essential component of any sustainable healthcare sector. With the burst of COVID-19 pandemic when every hospital and treatment facility was overburdened patients, efficient handling of the huge amount of generated BMW became a task for the entire world. This review compares the BMW generated before and during the second wave of COVID-19, highlights the challenges in managing the exuberated amount of COVID-19 waste and sites recommendations to promote sustainable design thinking, in order to address this grave concern in the current setting of the Indian system. The study indicated that inappropriate management of waste and the lacunae in the entire chain from segregation to collection until its disposal has posed a serious threat to the wellbeing of healthcare workers, sanitation staff as well as the operators and housekeeping staff at the hospitals, isolation centers and Municipal Corporation. Many states had inadequate number of common BMW treatment facilities (CBMWTFs) leading to inefficient treatment of the excess waste. The behavioural and attitudinal barriers of neglect and ignorance of different stakeholders further aggravated the problem of BMW management to manifolds. To achieve better management we recommend spreading awareness regarding the kind and infectious nature of waste generated by COVID-19 patients and their caregivers, segregation and decontamination of such waste at source and increasing the capacity as well as number of CBMWTFs. Creative ways to recycle the waste must be devised so as to reduce the burden on disposal sites. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T07:17:57Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-95d529f0cd0d4165bcaac5d2b9413393 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-665X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T07:17:57Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Environmental Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-95d529f0cd0d4165bcaac5d2b94133932022-12-22T04:37:52ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Environmental Science2296-665X2022-12-011010.3389/fenvs.2022.10220981022098Upsurge in biomedical waste due to COVID-19 in India: A statistical correlation, challenges and recommendationsRitu Khosla0Ashima Jha1Shweta Dua2Shivani G. Varmani3Namita Rajput4Balaram Pani5Department of Biomedical Science, Acharya Narendra Dev College, University of Delhi, New Delhi, IndiaDepartment of Biomedical Science, Bhaskaracharya College of Applied Sciences, University of Delhi, New Delhi, IndiaTechnical Advisor, Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusaamenarbeit (GIZ) GmBH, New Delhi, IndiaDepartment of Biomedical Science, Bhaskaracharya College of Applied Sciences, University of Delhi, New Delhi, IndiaDepartment of Commerce, Sri Aurobindo College (Morning), University of Delhi, New Delhi, IndiaDean of Colleges, University of Delhi, New Delhi, IndiaProper management of Biomedical Waste (BMW) is an essential component of any sustainable healthcare sector. With the burst of COVID-19 pandemic when every hospital and treatment facility was overburdened patients, efficient handling of the huge amount of generated BMW became a task for the entire world. This review compares the BMW generated before and during the second wave of COVID-19, highlights the challenges in managing the exuberated amount of COVID-19 waste and sites recommendations to promote sustainable design thinking, in order to address this grave concern in the current setting of the Indian system. The study indicated that inappropriate management of waste and the lacunae in the entire chain from segregation to collection until its disposal has posed a serious threat to the wellbeing of healthcare workers, sanitation staff as well as the operators and housekeeping staff at the hospitals, isolation centers and Municipal Corporation. Many states had inadequate number of common BMW treatment facilities (CBMWTFs) leading to inefficient treatment of the excess waste. The behavioural and attitudinal barriers of neglect and ignorance of different stakeholders further aggravated the problem of BMW management to manifolds. To achieve better management we recommend spreading awareness regarding the kind and infectious nature of waste generated by COVID-19 patients and their caregivers, segregation and decontamination of such waste at source and increasing the capacity as well as number of CBMWTFs. Creative ways to recycle the waste must be devised so as to reduce the burden on disposal sites.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2022.1022098/fullCOVID-19biomedical wasteIndiarecommendationschallenges |
| spellingShingle | Ritu Khosla Ashima Jha Shweta Dua Shivani G. Varmani Namita Rajput Balaram Pani Upsurge in biomedical waste due to COVID-19 in India: A statistical correlation, challenges and recommendations Frontiers in Environmental Science COVID-19 biomedical waste India recommendations challenges |
| title | Upsurge in biomedical waste due to COVID-19 in India: A statistical correlation, challenges and recommendations |
| title_full | Upsurge in biomedical waste due to COVID-19 in India: A statistical correlation, challenges and recommendations |
| title_fullStr | Upsurge in biomedical waste due to COVID-19 in India: A statistical correlation, challenges and recommendations |
| title_full_unstemmed | Upsurge in biomedical waste due to COVID-19 in India: A statistical correlation, challenges and recommendations |
| title_short | Upsurge in biomedical waste due to COVID-19 in India: A statistical correlation, challenges and recommendations |
| title_sort | upsurge in biomedical waste due to covid 19 in india a statistical correlation challenges and recommendations |
| topic | COVID-19 biomedical waste India recommendations challenges |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2022.1022098/full |
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