HOSPITAL WASTE MANAGEMENT: EXECUTION IN PAKISTAN AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS – A REVIEW

Hospital waste is a major environmental concern nowadays. It refers to materials originating from healthcare facilities, that are no more beneficial for living beings. Prior its final disposal it requires proper management and treatment to reduce its deleterious impacts. The purpose this review is to evaluate the waste management and treatment practices/techniques adopted in selected hospitals of four provinces of Pakistan. The study revealed that the waste management techniques (incineration, landfilling, autoclave and open dumping) in Pakistani hospitals have serious environmental implications. There is also a void in implementation of the existing legal framework for the adequate management and treatment of hospital waste, which can be overcome by adopting environmentally friendly techniques such as low temperature plasma, irradiation technology, reverse polymerization, and bio-converters.