Knowledge, attitude and practices of biomedical waste management among health care personnel in selected primary health care centres in Lucknow

The term “biomedical waste” has been defined as “any waste that is generated during diagnosis, treatment or immunisation of human beings or animals, or in the research activities pertaining to or in the production or testing of biological and includes categories mentioned in schedule I of the Government of India’s Biomedical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules 1998”. 1 With the increasing health care facilities and increased generation of biomedical waste, its proper management has become a burning issue. It is estimated that annually about 0.33 million tons of hospital waste is generated in India with average waste generation rates of 0.5 kg to 2 kg per bed per day. 2 It is estimated that 10-25% of the healthcare waste generated is hazardous & causes serious health problems. 3 Improper management of biomedical waste poses a serious threat to human health and may ABSTRACT