Biomedical Waste & Its Disposal in Ayurvedic Hospitals : Awareness and Practices

Abstract

Since beginning, the Ayurvedic hospitals are known for the treatment of sick persons but now it is a well established fact that hospital waste is a potential health hazard to the health care workers, public and ecosystem of the area. Biomedical waste disposal is an integral part of health care. The paper focuses on the identification and classification of biomedical wastes in Ayurvedic hospitals and current practices of its management in Ayurveda hospitals. Biomedical waste  generated during Panchkarma procedures and making of Ayurvedic medicines in  Rasashastra  or in Ayurvedic hospitals includes discarded blood, sharps, body parts other human tissues, used bandages and dressings, discarded gloves, catheters, syringes and other medical supplies that may have been in contact with blood and body fluids, clotted blood, liquids like - oils, butter milk, plant decoction waste, waste milk, vomitus, fecal material, waste Kalka (Paste), dough, mud packs, fresh leaves, leaf extract, dead leech, Mansa Pinda (flesh), cloth, burnt ashes, heavy metals (Bhasma) like mercury, arsenic  etc. BMW management is compulsory for Ayurvedic hospitals/ Panchkarma setups as commendable treatment approach and patient’s reliability is increasing for emerging lifestyle disorders. Sixty percent of waste generated is biodegradable and environmentally accepted which can also be solved through deep burial method. Ten percent is recyclable. Only thirty percent requires management through other means. As per Ayurveda, on the basis upon its origin materials are obtained from Jangama, etc. Similarly, these are also the sources of waste substance. Likewise, Ayurvedic classics provide detailed knowledge of use of agro forestry waste, mining waste, and dairy industries wastes etc. to minimize the amount of waste sent to dumping grounds.