Waste Management Policies in Healthcare Facilities

The management of healthcare waste has not been fully accepted even in the most industrialized countries. There are various countries like Iran, Palestine, Bangladesh and Serbia that lack strategies and guidelines for healthcare waste management. In other countries like India, the implementation of proper practices among healthcare personnel is substandard.

Nonetheless, over the years, studies on healthcare waste management have been conducted. The World Health Organization believes that there is need to enhance management of waste in healthcare facilities.

Developing a National Policy and Legislation

To create a sustainable waste management system, it is important for every country to develop a national policy. The national policy created should consider all international agreements signed by the country. It should also seek to address any declared international principles in terms of environmental protection together with the health and safety issues necessary to protect both the human health and the environment.

It should be reviewed at regular intervals and designed to accommodate decision making at the political level. Also, the policy should be implemented at all levels in the community and take into consideration the current stage of development and the progress needed to set targets that are achievable in the iterative process.

Sustainable Development

The agreements on Sustainable Development were agreed upon during World Summit in Johannesburg in 2002. National and international organizations have not yet full addressed the sustainable development principles on the best healthcare waste management practices.

Aarhus Convention of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

The Aarhus convention is a regional convention that addresses the need for citizen participation in terms of environmental issues. Elaboration of Principle 10 of the Rio Declaration, this convention also stresses the need for citizens to access to information on environment provided by public authorities.

The Law and Enforcement

Once decided, this policy document provides a framework for creating the legal statutes and regulations. There is a need to develop technical guidelines to demonstrate how the law should be implemented. For countries that have already created laws, no organization has the direct power to implement.