Citation: Anupjyoti Basistha & Mridula Saikia Khanikor (2022). A Study of Biomedical Waste Management Status in
Primary Health Centres of Guwahati, Assam. Saudi J Biomed Res, 7(1): 21-24.
21
Saudi Journal of Biomedical Research
Abbreviated Key Title: Saudi J Biomed Res
ISSN 2518-3214 (Print) |ISSN 2518-3222 (Online)
Scholars Middle East Publishers, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Journal homepage: https://saudijournals.com
Original Research Article
A Study of Biomedical Waste Management Status in Primary Health
Centres of Guwahati, Assam
Anupjyoti Basistha
1*
, Dr. Mridula Saikia Khanikor
2
1
Research Scholar, Department of Allied Health Sciences, Srimanta Sankaradeva University of Health Sciences, Gauhati Medical
College Building, Narakasur Hill Top, Bhangagarh, Guwahati-781032, Assam
2
ILS Nursing Institute, Agartala, West Tripura-799010, Tripura
DOI: 10.36348/sjbr.2022.v07i01.002 | Received: 03.12.2021 | Accepted: 08.01.2022 | Published: 17.01.2022
*Corresponding author: Anupjyoti Basistha
Research Scholar, Department of Allied Health Sciences, Srimanta Sankaradeva University of Health Sciences, Gauhati Medical
College Building, Narakasur Hill Top, Bhangagarh, Guwahati-781032, Assam
Abstract
Biomedical waste (BMW) is generated mainly by health care establishments. The management of BMW is still infant all
across the world. According to Biomedical waste management rule 2016 (amended in 2018),the health facilities need to
ensure proper segregation of BMW and pre-treat the waste at the facility before disposal/handing over the equivalent to
Common Bio Medical Waste Treatment Facility (CBMWTF). A detailed study on BMW status in few of the Primary
Health Centres (PHC) of Guwahati was carried out. The study depicts that only 30 % of the facilities does have nodal
person to monitor the BMW activities. None of the facility having coloured plastic bin/bags with biohazard symbol,
designated waste route, weighing machine and centralized storage area. Collection of BMW by the CBMWTF was
average twice a month.
Keywords: Biomedical Waste (BMW), Primary Health Centre (PHC).
Copyright © 2022 The Author(s): This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
License (CC BY-NC 4.0) which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium for non-commercial use provided the original
author and source are credited.
INTRODUCTION
‘Bio-medical waste’ means any solid and/or
liquid waste including its container and any
intermediate product, which is generated during the
diagnosis, treatment or immunization of human beings
or animals or in research pertaining thereto or in the
production or testing thereof.
Clinical consideration is imperative for our
life, wellbeing and prosperity. In any case, the waste
created from clinical exercises can be dangerous,
harmful and even deadly in light of their high potential
for ailment transmission. The dangerous and poisonous
pieces of waste from human services foundations
including irresistible, bio-clinical and radio-dynamic
materials just as sharps (hypodermic needles, blades,
surgical blades and so forth.) establish a grave hazard, if
these are not appropriately treated/arranged or are
permitted to get blended in with other metropolitan
waste. Its affinity to empower development of different
pathogens and vectors and its capacity to pollute
different nonhazardous/non-harmful metropolitan waste
risks the endeavors embraced for by and large city
squander management. The rag pickers and waste
workers are often worst affected, because unknowingly
or unwittingly, they rummage through all kinds of
poisonous materials while trying to salvage items which
they can sell for reuse. Simultaneously, this sort of
unlawful and unscrupulous reuse can be incredibly
hazardous and even deadly. Diseases like cholera,
plague, tuberculosis, hepatitis (especially HBV), AIDS
(HIV), diphtheria etc. in either pestilence or even
endemic structure, present grave general wellbeing
dangers. Shockingly, without solid and broad
information, it is hard to evaluate the element of the
issue or even the degree and assortment of the hazard in
question.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The study was conducted over a period of
three months. Study was conducted at ten (10) PHCs of
Guwahati, Assam.
A pre-defined observation checklist was
developed to monitor the BMW system in the PHCs.
The author visited all 10 PHCs with prior permission
from the Medical Officer I/Cs.