Hospital waste management in developing countries: A mini review.

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Public Health
• Occupational Health

Background:

• Healthcare activities generate hazardous wastes, posing environmental and health risks if mismanaged.
• Developing nations face resource constraints in safe hospital waste management.
• Inadequate waste management practices contribute to occupational and environmental hazards.

Purpose of the Study:

• To summarize the key challenges in hospital waste management in developing countries.
• To review existing literature on hospital waste management issues in resource-limited settings.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of existing studies on hospital waste management.
• Analysis of challenges related to regulations, waste generation, segregation, collection, storage, transportation, and disposal.

Main Results:

• Regulations for hospital waste management are recent and implementation varies widely.
• Inconsistent methodologies for measuring waste generation lead to data variability.
• Poor practices in waste segregation, collection, storage, and disposal are prevalent.
• Low staff awareness and lack of safety equipment for workers exacerbate risks.
• Illegal recycling of unsegregated waste poses additional dangers.

Conclusions:

• Hospital waste management in developing countries is complex, with multiple interconnected challenges.
• Addressing these challenges requires improved infrastructure, training, and consistent regulatory enforcement.
• Sustainable waste management strategies are essential to reduce the adverse impacts of hospital waste.