Medical waste management practices in a Southern African hospital

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.

Citation

Aseweh Abor, P. and Bouwer, A. (2008), "Medical waste management practices in a Southern African hospital", International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, Vol. 21 No. 4, pp. 356-364. https://doi.org/10.1108/09526860810880153