A Country Level Situational Analysis of Biomedical Waste Management: Evidence from DLHS-4

Abstract

Introduction: As per WHO report, hospital waste generated is either general waste (80%) or infectious/toxic waste (20%) The infectious waste requires proper handling so as to avoid any spread of infections. Aim: This study was carried out to document existing infrastructure and practices related to Biomedical Waste (BMW) management at country level using District Level Health Survey–4 (DLHS-4) data. Materials and Methods: The facility level data from fourth wave of DLHS was used for the analysis. The outcome measures assessed were mode of disposal of infectious, non-infectious waste, and availability of various infrastructure related to waste disposal. Simple and two-way cross tabulations was done for important BMW management indicators. Results: The facilities are not following the practice of segregation. The similar worrisome situation was observed for availability of colour-coded bags at primary healthcare facilities. The recommended methods for disposal of BMW were better in health facilities of non- Annual Health Survey (AHS) states than their counterparts in AHS states. Sharps waste were seen in the vicinity of the facilities in about one-fourth of District Hospitals (DHs) in both AHS and non-AHS states. Conclusion: BMW disposal infrastructure is not in place and proper guidelines are not being followed across the health facilities. To tackle the worrisome situation, training for the health staff should be conducted at regular intervals. Furthermore, the infrastructure required for BMW has to be provided at the health facilities so as to ensure the proper disposal.

Keywords

• disposal methods
• health care waste
• infrastructure