Microwave technology being used to manage medical waste

Microwave technology is being used in three major hospitals in Bangladesh to treat medical waste to avert health risks and environmental pollution. 

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 waste into normal ones. This new technology is producing very effective solutions for better management of hospital waste.

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

"We have been able to treat entire medical waste 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 waste into germ-free garbage.

This technology is reducing health risks significantly by making medical waste into normal ones, he said.

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

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

Dr SKM Shuaibur Rahman, a physician at Sheikh Hasina Medical College Hospital in Tangail, said health risks from medical waste has reduced drastically by using microwave.

He suggested that all medical hospitals should use microwave technology to treat medical waste as huge health hazards are associated with medical waste.

Health experts said hospitals and other medical facilities generate a huge amount of waste that cannot be disposed of directly as these wastes might contain hazardous chemicals, infected tissues, clothes or other used medical devices and apparatus.

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

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