HOSPITAL WASTE MANAGEMENT SURVEY: AWARENESS AND PRACTICES AMONG SELECTED HOSPITALS OF ISLAMABAD

Abstract

Bio Medical waste is dangerous and contagious and poses thoughtful threats to the environment. It needs precise pre-treatment and management before its last release into the environment. In order to reduce the risk to human health and the environment; it is required by hospitals to manage and dispose of waste in accordance with international and national standards. The main purpose of this study is to visit private and public hospitals in the capital of Pakistan i.e., Islamabad, to investigate current hospital waste administrative functions and monitoring of compliance with national and international standards. The methodology of this paper comprises a view of the empirical ground level observation and field level data inventory collection, questionnaire survey and formal and informal interviews. The questionnaire was intended to gather information that discusses the production of different medical waste in terms of quantity and generation sources from different Health care establishments. Sum of Specific questions were enquired from nurses, hospital administrators, doctors and cleaners to obtain their information. Data composed through questionnaires were analyzed. This study revealed that both Public and private hospitals have respectable hygienic conditions within their premises. However, appropriate waste classification practices, staff training on Biomedical waste management procedures, as well as standard labeling, proper dumping and disposal as well as transportation processes are not up to standard. This study accomplishes that appropriate hospital waste management practices do not exist shadowed by compliance with national and international standards. The law exists but there is much that can be said about their implementation of standards