Microwave technology being used to manage medical waste

Microwave technology is being used in three major hospitals of the country to treat medical wastes to avert health risks and environmental pollution, according to BSS.  

The three hospitals -- Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical College (BSMMC), Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery and Sheikh Hasina Medical College Hospital in Tangail -- are using environment-friendly microwave technology for medical waste management. 

The newly invented technology needs only 30 minutes to convert medical wastes into normal ones. This new technology is producing very effective solution for better management of hospital wastes. 

Residential surgeon of Sheikh Hasina National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery Dr Partha Shankar Pal told BSS that "Microwave technology is very effective to treat medical wastes...medical wastes are transformed into germ free garbage using this technology."

"We have been able to treat entire medical wastes of our hospital from any health risk," he added. 

Echoing the advantages of microwave technology, Dr M Mushtaq Hussain, an adviser of the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), said microwave technology has emerged as the most effective technological solution to convert medical wastes into germ-free garbage. This technology is reducing health risk significantly through making medical wastes into normal ones. He added. 

According to health experts, microwave technology is the latest and widely used technology to treat medical wastes across the world. 

Over 60 countries including Australia, Russia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand, China, France, Bangladesh, the USA, the UK and Netherlands are using microwave technology for better management of medical wastes. 

Dr SKM Shuaibur Rahman, a physician of Sheikh Hasina Medical College Hospital in Tangail, said health risk from medical wastes has reduced drastically by using microwave. He suggested that all medical hospitals should use microwave technology to treat medical wastes as huge health hazards are associated with these medical wastes. 

The health expert sources said hospitals and other medical facilities generate huge amount of waste those cannot be disposed directly as these waste might contain hazardous chemicals, or infected tissues, cloths or other used medical devices and apparatus. 

Direct disposal of it (medical hazard) can lead to some other kind of disease spread to community. To avoid any disease spreading and contamination of other kind it is required to reduce the direct disposal. 

The microwave technology is the best option to disinfect and try to reuse or recycle all possible medical equipment. Almost all type of microorganisms gets destroyed by application of microwave.