Silent Hazards: Bridging Policy And Practice In Hospital Waste Management In Pakistan

Abstract

Over the last few decades, Poor segregation, weak enforcement of regulatory systems and inadequate capacity of the healthcare system to manage hazardous streams of waste have contributed to hospital waste management as a high profile public health and environmental issue in Pakistan. Biomedical waste types are infectious, chemical waste, pathological waste, and sharps waste, which when not well disposed, exposes medical workers, waste workers, patients, and the communities to risks. In spite of the national policy directives in the Pakistan Environmental Protection Act (PEPA, 1997) and Healthcare Waste Management Rules (2005), organizations obeying it is low and rather disjointed. According to the recent research, the lack of knowledge, training, and infrastructure in both public and private hospitals remains a persistent issue, and unsafe behaviors, including recapping needles and conflating the infectious waste with the general garbage, are still frequent. The level of awareness among nurses and paramedical staff is unequal, and core operational practices cannot be deemed as per defined by WHO standards. This study builds on a secondary data exploration method through which the research critically evaluates the existing situation of hospital waste management in Pakistan through synthesising peer-reviewed reports, national case study evaluation and policy analysis. Problems outlined through analysis included inefficient segregation, inefficient training programs, unreliable treatment technologies and lack of monitoring. The article identifies such environmental liabilities as open dumping and incompetent incineration, and focuses on the occupational risks of health care workers. Recommendations emphasize the necessity to have tighter enforcement mechanisms, capacity building, investing in sustainable technologies and community-based awareness activities. The findings should help guide policymakers, hospital administrators, and environmental regulators to sustainable hospital waste control that safeguards the health of the people and the environment.