MEDICAL WASTE MANAGEMENT

Medical wastes are highly infectious and hazardous. They carry the germs of dreadful diseases like hepatitis B and C and HIV/AIDS etc. Medical waste accounts for only twenty percent of the total waste generated in a Upazila. Though the amount of such hazardous waste is quite small in figure, but if not handled properly, can mix up with general waste making the whole waste stream hazardous and dangerous. Simply dispose into dustbins, drains, canals and /or final damping site poses a serious public health mortality.

Medical Waste Management (MWM) is consider to be one of the significant issues targeted by MOHFW, because the environmental issues creating adverse impacts vary widely in nature within the health sector in Bangladesh. The current situations regarding MWM in Bangladesh are not satisfactory and polluting the environment with toxic substances also contributing public health problem

  1. The key elements of the strategy for improving MWM are the following:
  2. Building awareness and capacity at all levels.
  3. Developing appropriate guidelines and manuals.
  4. Create accountability through appropriate legal/regulatory framework.
  5. Create appropriate institutional framework to facilitate implementation of MWM on a sustainable basis.
  6. Making targeted and phased investment.
  7. Creating the enabling framework for private sector participation in centralized facilities.

At the Upazila and below level facilities, the current practice of MWM will be continued. Different color bins will be supplied to the UHCs for collection of segregated waste at source. Mainly nurses and cleaners will segregate and collect the waste while the doctors will be responsible for their monitoring. The UHCs will also be provided with trolley for transporting the segregated waste to final disposal. The general, infectious solid waste, infectious liquid waste & sharp waste will be collected separately. General waste should be stored in a definite place in black bin of UHCs, so that Pourashava / Union Porishod can collect & carry the waste for final disposal. The sharps wastes & Infectious wastes will be disposed separately in different pits. The liquid waste will be mixed with water (different dilutions for different wastes) and disposed in sewerage channel.

An EMP (Environmental Management Plan) should be prepared by experts for the plain land, hilly area, low lying land & coastal belt. To create facilities for medical waste disposal, 4 chambered disposal pit may be constructed for disposal of sharp waste & infectious waste according to EMP. Also a Waste carrying van should procure for out-house waste management.

Activities

  • To develop a feasible and sustainable system for safe medical waste management.
  • To create facilities for MWM
  • Capacity development / Training on Medical Waste Management
  • To raise community awareness on MWM
Last Updated: 2019-05-06 10:59:07