TMSS Medical College Journal

A cross-sectional study was conducted in two medical college hospitals & six clinics of Faridpur, using convenient sampling technique. To evaluate the current practices of collection, segregation approaches, storage arrangements and disposal systems in the selected hospitals of Faridpur. To determine the level of knowledge & awareness of individual involved in medical waste management. To collect information on hospital waste management. To identify the potential impact on human health & environment. The instrument of research was a self administered questionnaire, with four sections, relating to the general information of the institution, administrative information, information regarding Health Waste Management personnel and a check-list of Hospital Waste Management activities. Out of eight hospitals visited 3 (37.5%) were segregating sharps, pathological waste, chemical, infectious, pharmaceutical and pressurized containers at source. For handling potentially dangerous waste, three (37.5%) hospitals provided essential protective gears to its waste handlers. Only one (12.5%) hospital arranged training sessions for its waste handling staff regularly. Five (62.5%) hospitals had storage areas but mostly it was not protected from access of scavengers. Five (62.5%) hospitals disposed off their hazardous waste by burning in incinerators, three (37.5%) disposed off by municipal landfills and one (12.5%) was burning waste in open air without any specific treatment. No record of waste was generally maintained. Only three (37.5%) hospitals had well documented guidelines for waste management and a proper waste management team. Hospital wastes pose a significant impact on health & environment. From this study it can be said that there is an argent need for raising awareness & education on hospital waste issue. Proper waste management strategy is needed to ensure health & environment safety. For further study it is needed to collect more information on impact, disposal & management to draw clear conclusion.

Hospital waste refers to all waste generated, discarded & not intended for further use in the hospital. “Hospital waste” Any waste generated consequent to health care activity including those at home is “Health care waste”. According to Biomedical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules 1998, of India, “Biomedical Waste” (BMW) is defined as a waste generated during diagnosis, treatment, immunization of human beings or animals or in research activities pertaining thereto or in the production or testing of biologicals[1]. It can be categorized: (1) General waste: Largely composed of domestic / household type waste. It nonhazardous to human being, e.g. kitchen waste, packaging materials, papers, wrappers & plastics. (2) Pathological waste: Consist of tissue, organ, body part, human fetuses, body & body fluid. It is hazardous waste. (3) Infectious waste: This waste which contains pathogens in sufficient concentration or quality that could cause diseases. It is hazardous e.g. culture & stocks of infectious agent from laboratories, waste from surgery, waste originating from infectious patients. (4) Sharps: Waste material which could cause person handling it a cut or puncture of skin e.g. needles, broken glass, saws, nail, blades, scalpels. (5) Pharmaceutical waste: This includes pharmaceutical products, drugs & chemicals that have been returned from wards, have been spilled are outdated or contaminated. (6) Chemical waste: This comprises discarded solid, liquid and gaseous chemicals e.g. cleaning, house keeping, and disinfecting product. (7) Radioactive waste: It includes solid, liquid, and gaseous waste that is contaminated with radionucleides generated from in-vitro analysis of body tissues and fluid, in-vivo body organ imaging and tumour localization and therapeutic procedures [2] . Bangladesh is the most populous country & 12 most densely populated country in the world with projected urban population growth rate from 2010-2015 is 3%. There is an increasing problem in the waste & hospital management particularly in large cities. There has been recent development in Bangladesh to improve waste management specially in urban cities in Dhaka city corporation with support from Japan International Corporation agency (JICA) has been master plan underway to better handle waste management in Dhaka. UNICEF has also initiated recyclaying programme & waste control with the City Corporation & municipality. However currently there are still insufficient insensitive to improve the standard of waste management across all relevant sectors especially hospital waste [3] . Recently PRISM (Project in Agriculture, Rural Industry, and Science & Medicine) Bangladesh a reputed national NGO is working for medical waste management in association with Dhaka city corporation with financial & technical support from water & sanitation program (WSP). PRISM Bangladesh carried out a survey on the medical waste management in Dhaka city. Subsequently PRISM Bangladesh with the financial support from Canadian international development agency (CIDA) has recently developed disposal facilities for the low cost medical waste treatment & management treatment in Dhaka city. The DCC has allocated one acor (0.405 hector) of land in Matuail, a dumpsite near the city limit for the final disposal of medical waste [4] . There is no such system develop in Faridpur. Faridpur is the center of Bangladesh and it is a District of Dhaka division situated on the of bank of river padma. Its total area is 2072.72 squre/km. Its total population is 1.75 million. Faridpur district consist of 8 upazilla four municipality, 79 union parisad, 36 ward, 92 mahallah & 1859 village. Faridpur town stands on both side of river Kumar. Faridpur municipality was established 1869, the town consist of 9 wards, 35 mahalla. The area of the town is 20.23 squre/km. Population of the town is 99634, male population 51.73% female 48.27%, density of population 4925/squre/km, literacy rate is 66.6%. Faridpur has two medical college, one university college, 7 govt. college, 41 non-govt. college 25 clinic & diagnostic center, 10 NGOs, 6 health center hospital 8 upazilla health complex, 77 family planning center, 37 satellite clinic. There is no good hospital waste management in Faridpur pourasava is maintaining general waste & hospital waste management in Faridpur town [5]