Doctors treat thyself

Medical practitioners in Mumbai are disposing of medical waste in municipal bins without disinfecting or treating it.

Mumbai produces 600 tonnes of medical waste daily from its 3,000 hospitals and 36,000 general practitioners' clinics. Most of this waste enters the city's waste disposal system, unlabelled and non-disinfected, spreading infections and diseases that could reach epidemic proportions.

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A typical medical waste bin will contain pathological waste - human tissues, amputated or diseased limbs, organs, foetuses, blood and other body fluids. Infectious wastes will include soiled surgical dressings, swabs, waste from isolation wards and cultures, dialysis equipment, gowns and towels. Sharps such as needles, scalpels, blades, saws, nails and broken glass form the third type of waste, while pharmaceutical wastes have medicines and outdated drugs. Radioactive wastes include solids, liquids and gases from in-vitro analysis of body tissues and fluids.

Under the Environment Protection Act, the rules are clear. The civic authorities in Mumbai have also brought out a training module for hospital waste management, which clearly states that medical waste should be segregated before disposal. Each of these waste categories should be separately disinfected or decontaminated before it enters the disposal system. Sharps like needles are to be broken by needle cutters or burnt and deposited in containers. Syringes are to be cut before disposal. Secretions and excretions are to be decontaminated and drained, while blood bags are to be autoclaved and incinerated.