Awareness on the bio-medical waste and its segregation methods

Health care institutions are generating large amount of Bio-medical waste (BMW), which needs to be properly segregated and treated. Hospitals and other health care facilities generate lots of waste which can transmit infections, particularly HIV, Hepatitis B and C and Tetanus, to the people who handle it or come in contact with it. India generates around three million tones of medical wastes every year and the amount is expected to grow at eight per cent annually.Indiscriminate disposal of BMW or hospital waste and exposure to such waste possess serious threat to environment and to human health that requires specific treatment and management prior to its final disposal. The present review article deals with the basic issues as definition, categories, problems relating to biomedical waste and procedure of handling and disposal method of Biomedical Waste Management. It also promotes awareness amongst the personnel involved in health care unit.