Hospital Waste Management as an Emergent Public Health Concern in Pakistan
Hospital waste is very small in quantity but it carries a huge risk in the transmission of disease and injury. It is considered a special type of waste due to its potency to infect the population. According to World Health Organization (WHO) waste that is contagious, containing toxic metals, in...
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| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Liaquat National Hospital and Medical College
2023-04-01
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| Series: | Journal of Liaquat National Hospital |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.lnh.edu.pk/jlnh/pdf/fa53b43f-dcf7-4fed-a917-4c9ad42b77a4.pdf |
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| Summary: | Hospital waste is very small in quantity but it carries a
huge risk in the transmission of disease and injury. It is
considered a special type of waste due to its potency to
infect the population. According to World Health Organization
(WHO) waste that is contagious, containing toxic metals,
infected diagnostic material, and decontaminators is said to
be hospital waste [1]. According to WHO estimates around
three million healthcare providers globally are exposed to
blood-borne infections [2]. Poor and inappropriate
management of waste material can cause very serious
health outcomes and it may contribute a substantial impact
on the environment [3].
The term hospital waste management means the methods
and techniques used by hospitals to restrict disease from
spreading into the environment. In low to middle-income c
of hospital waste. The lack of appropriate segregation of
the contaminated material, its collection method, proper
storage mechanism, and transportation leads to the failure
of management of hospital waste. This failure is the
foremost reason for the spread of many infectious diseases
within the population and may burden the healthcare
system [4]. In 2005, the Biosafety Rules came into
existence, but these rules are not followed by healthcare
institutions and healthcare professionals for the management of hospital waste. There is not any appropriate
storage of the waste material before it may be disposed of
and the waste material's segregation into various sections is
nearly non-existing in the healthcare setup in Pakistan [5].
According to the Pakistan Hospital waste management
(PAK HWM) Rules 2005, there is a structured hospital
waste management system that includes a team for hospital
waste, a proper waste management plan, and reporting of
generated waste within the hospital every week [6]. For the
development of proper hospital waste management, healthcare institutions are required to create policies to address
the waste management issue. Along with the policies for
hospital waste management, compliance with the documentation of the activities is an important step for the
surveillance of waste management [7]. The existence of
appropriate legislation, adequate financial aid, and proper
training of hospital managers and clinical staff can
improve waste management in hospitals. Lack of knowledge regarding the laws and the incorrect use of rules and
regulations leads to the reuse of the waste material which is
a source for the spread of diseases [8].
The goal of the management of hospital waste is to prevent
the spread of diseases within the population. To understand this, management of the waste material and its appropriate
segregation is the foremost important aspect and a cost-effective method to deal with the rising concern in Pakistan.
Investing in technologies without properly assigning the
responsibilities to the staff, according to their role in waste
production and its disposal may lead to disastrous effects
and a failure to control communicable diseases. To
improve adherence to the national guidelines in hospitals
and a mechanism to maintain a clean and healthy environment for the nation. |
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| ISSN: | 2959-1805 2960-2963 |