Abstract
Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine the medical waste management practices of a hospital in Southern Africa. Design/methodology/ approach - A case study methodology was utilised. Findings - The results revealed that the hospital does not quantify medical waste. Segregation of medical waste into infectious waste and non-infectious waste is not conducted according to definite rules and standards. Separation of medical waste and municipal waste is however practiced to a satisfactory extent. Wheeled trolleys are used for on-site transportation of waste. Off-site transportation of waste is outsourced to a private firm. Incineration is used in the final disposal of infectious waste. Non-infectious waste is disposed using land disposal method. There is no policy and plan in place for managing medical waste. A number of problems were identified with respect to medical waste management. Originality/value - The paper gives recommendations with the aim of improving medical waste management in hospitals.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 356-364 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance |
| Volume | 21 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2008 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Hospitals
- Risk management
- South Africa
- Waste disposal
