Study of healthcare waste management in Chandpur pourashava

Abstract

The management of health care waste is an emergent public health and environment problem in Hangladesh. But it is receiving improper attention in spite of its potential health risk till to date. The rapid growth of health care facilities is accentuating the problem to a large extent. Presently. health care waste in Chand pur Pourashava is being handled like any other type of waste. These are placed in concrete enclosurc / container or simply dumped on the street, from where it is loaded manually on garbage trucks by street sweepers and disposed of at the landfill and the healthcarc waste is subjcct to scavenging. Due to the character of the waste. this way of handling the waste may cause health hazard to the people involved in the handling. both the street sweepers and the scavengers and cause damage to the environment. Physical surveys have been conducted at nine hospitals of Chand pur Pourashava for quantification of Hazardous and Non- hazardous wastes. In this regard generation rate of hospital wastes and composition of waste have been determined. From the survey it has been found that the rate of generation of total health care waste is 1.04 kg per bed per day. The average rate of generation of non-hazardous and hazardous waste is 0.88 kg per bed per day and 0.17 kg per bed per day. respectively. The average production of general. infectious. pathological and sharp waste is 84%. 9%. 3.3% and 3.8% respectively. Suitable technologies that have been recommended based on the consideration of the implementation. operation and management cost and availability of raw materials and skilled manpower. It has been lound from the study that the low cost burning unit is suitable for incineration of infectious waste. sharp pit for sharp. waste and burial pits for the pathological waste. However. the system should be maintained properly. The application of this research will contribute to provide appropriate guideline lor the future planning and design of healthcare Waste Management in Chandpur Pourashava.