Evaluation of Waste Management Practices in One of the Leading Public Sector Hospitals at Karachi

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to find out about the waste management practices being carried out in the public sector hospitals in Karachi, Pakistan. Appropriate waste management practices are very important for the safety and well-being of all hospital staff, patients and also for a safe healthy environment. The research, being explanatory in nature, involved primary quantitative data collected through a questionnaire. The data was collected from a sample of 152 healthcare waste handlers belonging to different departments of Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre. To analyze the data, statistical tools Pearson’s Correlation and Regression analysis were applied with the help of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), version 22. The investigation and analysis results have revealed that waste management practices are being carried out in different departments of Jinnah Post graduate Medical Centre. There is difference in the practices being followed when different variables are considered. The Healthcare waste management system requires proper planning, implementation of the plans for hazardous healthcare waste management and supervision of the practices being carried out. The findings of this research are likely to help the management of Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre specially the Waste Managers about effectiveness of Waste Management System and also about its weaknesses. Likewise, other hospitals of the industry, both public and private sector, can also benefit from the study.