
Perspectives in Social Science
Volume 13 July 2017
Perspectives in Social Science
Revisiting Medical Waste Management of Healthcare Facilities in Bangladesh
Perspectives in Social Science
Volume 13 July 2017
DOI:
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Abstract
Waste generated from the healthcare facilities are infectious and hazardous that poses serious threats to environment. So it requires proper management prior to its final disposal. This paper shows the exiting scenario of medical waste management practice in the healthcare facilities of Bangladesh. This cross-sectional study utilizes data from the Bangladesh Health Facility Survey (BHFS) 2014. The study shows that open burning of both sharp and medical wastes are practiced in rural areas as well as government own healthcare facilities. On the other hand, privately owned and urban healthcare facilities usually remove offsite. The paper also shows that general wastes are managed same as sharp wastes though the type of wastes are different. Therefore, medical waste management needs sufficient consideration in both private and governmental hospitals as there is inadequate medical waste management. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare should pay more attention towards policies for the disposal of wastes and proper management to ensure improvement and adequacy in the medical waste management practices. Moreover, there is need for regular worker training, continuing education, and management evaluation processes for systems and personnel for awareness.
Keywords:
Sharp waste, general waste, management system, divisions, healthcare facilities, urban rural.