Awareness of hospital waste management issues among hospital administration and local residents of pakistan.

Abstract: Segregation, collection, storage, transportation and disposal of hospital waste are serious and neglected issues in Pakistan. Therefore the risk of injury and infection resulting from improper management of waste is very high here. This research was conducted to check awareness of and interest in hospital waste management issues and legislative documents among the local residents and management of hospitals. This study was carried out in eighteen different hospitals by using a standard survey tool that focused primarily on hospital waste management planning; made by WHO regional office for South-East Asia with some minor editorial changes. Basic legislation in form of Hospital Waste Management Rules, August 2005 is present in Pakistan but hospitals management is not well aware of this legislation and local resident doctors are completely unaware of it. A serious lack of responsibility and basic knowledge were observed in both the doctors and management. Some of the hospitals did not even allow us to carry out the research. This study suggests that proper trainings and workshops should be conducted to make the local resident doctors and waste management teams aware of the issues and practices of hospital waste management. Beside this the regulation of audit process in this life sensitive issue should be maintained.