This chapter focuses on the results and findings of the research about the practices used for HWM (Hospital Waste Management) in Pakistan Institute of Medical Science (PIMS) Islamabad and Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH) Rawalpindi. The results and discussion are based on qualitative data which was collected from the hospital staff. To find out the proper and accurate results about the existing practices of HWM and existing legal framework, interviews were conducted among the hospital staff and administration. Details of conducted interviews with hospital staff is given below in the table.
Hospitals Waste office Administration Nurse Medical Student Sweeper Sanitary Engineer Caffey Owner Total
PIMS 0 1 3 3 7 0 1 15
BBH 0 1 2 2 7 0 1 13
Total 0 2 5 5 14 0 2 28
Table 2: Interview collected from Hospital staff of PIMS
Trucks of private company daily visit the dumping site of the hospital and collect it without proper segregation of infectious and non-infectious plus sharps waste. In an informal interviews with the sweepers they told that waste comprises of almost every type of waste including “sharps, blood bags, syringes, bottles, vomits, food waste and bandages. The staff is only directed to collect it in open trolleys without proper precautions. The staff is not given masks or gloves to keep their selves away from the side effects of hospital waste. Some of the member told that many unknown diseases were found in the sanitary staff like skin disease, diarrhea, eye infection, allergies which was a serious threat to the staff health. When I asked them why don’t they complain against it in the higher administration they told that we are poor people and our salary is very limited, if we complained, there is a chance that we might be fired from the