Evaluation of Barriers of Health Care Waste Management in India—A Gray Relational Analysis Approach

The waste generated by health care units has been contributing a dreadful share in terms of life threatening diseases and environmental pollution. Erroneous management of this waste has not only invited a serious threat to the environment but also to the personnel associated with it; mainly health care experts, patients, workers as well as the general community. A number of studies advocate that there exists certain factors that inhibit effectiveness of health care waste management (HCWM). Prior knowledge of these factors and their relative importance will be helpful for decision makers to better handle these barriers and improve HCWM effectiveness. This research, through the employment of gray relational analysis (GRA) prioritizes 14 barriers identified from literature, according to the degree of their negative impact. The study reveals that “Unauthorized Reuse of Health Care Waste” and Implementation of “Poor Segregation Practices” ranked 1 are perceived as the two most significant barriers while “Lack of Accountability of Authorities of Health Care Facilities towards HCWM” and “Inadequate Awareness and Training Programs” ranked 5 are perceived as the least important barriers of HCWM in India.