An Assessment of Hospital Waste Management System in Areas of Waste Storage, Collection and Disposal in Private Hospitals of Tehran

In this survey, a study of hospital waste management inTehran’s private hospitals has been conducted to assess separation, collection, storage, disposal and onsite and offsite transportation of such waste. 20 out of the 48 operating private hospitals have been selected for the study which was conducted using a questionnaire. Waste generation rate has been evaluated at 3.406 Kg per bed.All hospitals have been evaluated as having similar performance levels in waste separation which has been designated the score level of 100. Scores for waste transportation inside and outside the hospital premises have respectively been evaluated at having mean levels of 93.3 and 76.25. Temporary waste storage areas have gained the mean score value of 80.36 for alignment with environmental and health standards. None of the hospitals have adopted treatment technologies and Tehran municipality takes care of the collection and disposal of all hospital waste. Waste disposal is assessed as inefficient according to WHO standards. In this survey, hospital waste management practices have been evaluated as acceptable in areas of waste separation, collection, onsite transportation and temporary storage. Management practices in areas of offsite transportationand final disposal are barely acceptable or weak for reasons out of hospital’s control such as poor coordination between responsible parties and lack of proper standards and guidelines.