A STUDY ON WASTE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES IN PRIVATE HOSPITALS IN KHAMMAM DISTRICT.

Hospital waste management is an imperative environmental and public safety issue, due to the waste's infectious and hazardous character. This paper examines the existing waste strategy of hospital in with a bed capacity. The segregation, collection, packaging, storage, transportation and disposal of waste were monitored and the observed problematic areas documented. The wastewater's toxicity was also investigated. During the study, omissions and negligence were observed at every stage of the waste management system, particularly with regard to the treatment of infectious waste. Inappropriate collection and transportation procedures for infectious waste, which jeopardized the safety of staff and patients, were recorded. However, inappropriate segregation practices were the dominant problem, which led to increased quantities of generated infectious waste and hence higher costs for their disposal. Infectious waste production was estimated using two different methods: one by weighing the incinerated waste. Furthermore, measurements of the parameter in wastewater samples revealed an increased toxicity in all samples. Proposals recommending the application of a comprehensive hospital waste management system are presented that will ensure that any potential risks hospital wastes pose to public health and to the environment are minimized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]