HOSPITAL WASTE MANAGEMENT AND TREATMENT IN HEALTHCARE SECTOR: A REVIEW

Abstract

Aim: Medical waste generation was significantly increased during pandemic due to excessive use of face masks, plastic, syringes. Many countries during pandemic successfully reduce medical waste (MW). The purpose of this current study is to highlight the management and treatment process of MW so that personnel responsible for collecting, transporting and disposing of the MW keep themselves as well as environment safe help in reducing MW and spreading infections. Study Design: Review, Conceptual, Material and Methods: Articles published in Scopus, Web of Science, Pub Med, and EBSCO were downloaded for literature. Different keywords such as Waste treatment, Recycling of Waste, Waste Management (WM) were used for search of literature. Articles included in this study were chosen on certain criteria. Those articles which are published between 2017-2023 were included and those which match the keywords were included in the current study. Those articles which do not match the criteria were excluded. Results: There are five main themes emerged as the main findings of this study. These are waste generation, segregation, collection and transportation, recycling, treatment, and disposal. Conclusion: It is concluded that authorized personnel must be allowed to touch and dispose of the MW. These personnel must be provided with adequate training so that spread of infections can be prevented.