MEDICAL WASTE IN PAKISTAN AND ENVIRONMENTAL LAW

Abstract

Medical Waste produced by health care activities including a wide range of materials, from used syringes and needles to soiled dressings, diagnostic samples, body parts, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, blood, medical devices and radioactive materials. In most developing countries, proper waste management system does not exist. In Pakistan, Government hospitals, no special techniques for waste handling, and due to lack of awareness, hospital staff normally treats all solid wastes carelessly. The present study is to determine the frequency of attitudes and practices of hospital waste management and environmental laws. The study was conducted in the Multan from August, 2016 to September, 2016. The sample was consisted of 100 hospital staff including doctors, nurses, laboratory technicians and class IV employees through convenience sampling. They were interviewed and results were analysed from the entries in a semi structured Performa. The study concluded that that in spite of all these laws and rules, the implementations, regulation and compliance still low have serious concerns for the environmental and public health due to unawareness, lack of strict hospital management and regular monitoring. There is gap between theory, rules, laws and its practices.