Welcome to Medical Recycling
Dedicated to Helping People
About THE PROJECT
My Healthcare Mission
I am Milan Mahesh, a student at Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. My passion and interest in medical recycling led me to develop a project that helps promote knowledge to increase rates of both medical device and equipment recycling. I volunteer and work with physicians and healthcare administrators to help with all forms of medical recycling.
My mission is to promote socially conscious healthcare with the goal of helping people and saving lives by recycling medical devices and equipment and providing them to low-income individuals both locally and worldwide.
I have been actively involved in medical recycling from early 2016 and have personally collected over 150 devices from various funeral homes and crematoriums to donate to poor patients all around the world.
https://ethicalunicorn.com/2018/09/13/medical-recycling-how-to-save-lives-and-save-waste/
MEDICAL DEVICE RECYCLING- AN OUT-OF-THE-BOX IDEA
As medical science advances, opportunities to save lives increase with newer devices, technologies and procedures keeps increasing. People with heart problems do not need heart transplants- devices like pacemakers and defibrillators can help. However, these technologies are expensive and often restricted to the developed countries leaving a significant chunk of the world population without access to these benefits. These devices can be RE-USED.
We live in a world where one can easily get anything pre-owned. Even phones and laptops in good condition can be got USED or REFURBISHED. Similarly, devices like pacemakers and defibrillators can be REUSED to SAVE A LIFE, when one dies. THE MAIN DIFFERENCE- they are NOT SOLD but DONATED.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_cardiac_pacemaker#Reusable_Pacemakers
MEDICAL EQUIPMENT RECYCLING- HOW YOU CAN HELP SOMEONE LIVE LIFE, AFTER YOURS
People often want to help someone in need - even after they die. Organ donation is a noble thing but not everyone can be an organ donor. You can do something easier. MEDICAL EQUIPMENT RECYCLING is a simple way to help. Wheelchairs, canes, walkers, hospital beds, lift chairs, shower tubs, potty chairs and similar devices need not be trashed or thrown away in a basement/ garage. Prosthetic limbs too. All these can be cleaned, refurbished, certified by professionals- and then donated to people in need.
SOMEONE IN NEED, SOMEWHERE NEEDS YOUR HELP
http://www.cardiologyres.org/index.php/Cardiologyres/article/view/755
Publications, testimonials and faq's
Ethical Unicorn- Top 50 Eco-concious Blog
Research Publication
Testimonials
Hi Milan –
Thanks for doing that research for me and I certainly will spread the word! I’m all for recycling everything we can and I salute the work you are doing. Thank you!
Best wishes for your success, - Fran
The web site is great. The mission Awesome!!! - Larry
Wikipedia Write Up
I did a small Wikipedia write-up about reusabe pacemakers. Feel free to expand on the same.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_cardiac_pacemaker#Reusable_Pacemakers
FAQs
- What are the main concerns about medical recycling?
- Concerns about infections and malpractice lawsuits seem to be the biggest concerns amongst the health-care professionals.
- Is there truly an increased risk of infection with medical recycling, especially with devices that are implanted like reused pacemakers and defibrillators?
- Research does not indicate any increased risk from reused cardiac implanted devices. Of course, standard and proper disinfections practices need to be followed.
- What are the laws governing medical recycling?
- Laws vary in different countries, and one must make sure that the existing laws are followed. However, many countries do not have laws concerning medical recycling and in that case, efforts have to be made to promote writing laws to help people take advantage of medical recycling as a means to promote health when affordability and access to quality and modern healthcare is a concern.