Medical Waste Management in China: A Case Study of Xinxiang

Nie, Li; Zhang, Qiao; Wu, Huan

doi:10.4236/jep.2014.510082

Cited by 15 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…Frequently, particularly for more remote and rural hospitals, this funding is not sufficient. In one study conducted in the city of Xinxiang, Henan province, it was found that local medical institutions received little support in terms of transport costs for medical waste management from upper tiers of government to sustain their costs [ 16 ]. In fact, financial support was lacking to the point that many hospitals could not afford to transport their medical waste off-site, despite national requirements that they do so.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In fact, financial support was lacking to the point that many hospitals could not afford to transport their medical waste off-site, despite national requirements that they do so. At the same time, the relatively small quantities of medical waste produced by rural or remote hospitals provided little incentive for disposal centers to service these areas to pick up waste [ 14 , 16 ]. Without off-site treatment of medical waste, hospitals had even less of an incentive to enforce proper segregation, packing or disposal of waste.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Medical waste management in three areas of rural China

Gao

Shi

et al. 2018

PLoS ONE

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ObjectiveThe purpose of this paper is to describe current practices of medical waste management, including its generation, investments, collection, storage, segregation, and disposal, and to explore the level of support from upper tiers of the government and health care system for medical waste management in rural China.MethodsThe authors draw on a dataset comprised of 209 randomly selected rural township health centers (THCs) in 21 counties in three provinces of China: Anhui, Shaanxi and Sichuan. Surveys were administered to health center administrators in sample THCs in June 2015.ResultsThe results show that the generation rate of medical waste was about 0.18 kg/bed, 0.15 kg/patient, or 0.13 kg/person per day on average. Such per capita levels are significant given China’s large rural population. Although investments of medical waste facilities and personnel in THCs have improved, results show that compliance with national regulations is low. For example, less than half of hazardous medical waste was packed in sealed containers or containers labeled with bio-hazard markings. None of the THCs segregated correctly according to the categories required by formal Chinese regulations. Many THCs reported improper disposal methods of medical waste. Our results also indicate low levels of staff training and low rates of centralized disposal in rural THCs.ConclusionsMedical waste is a serious environmental issue that is rising on the agenda of policymakers. While a large share of THCs has invested in medical waste facilities and personnel, it appears that actual compliance remains low. Using evidence of low rates of training and centralized disposal, we surmise that a lack of support from upper tiers of management is one contributing factor. Given these findings, we recommend that China’s policymakers should enhance support from upper tiers and improve monitoring as well as incentives in order to improve medical waste management.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Medical waste management in three areas of rural China

Gao

Shi

et al. 2018

PLoS ONE

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“… Tulokhonova and Ulanova (2013) and Nie et al. (2014) have respectively shown that approximately 282,447 tons of medical waste are produced yearly in Africa and nearly 5.22 million people die from the effects of healthcare waste.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Healthcare waste management in the Tamale Central Hospital, northern Ghana. An assessment before the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana

Abanyie¹,

Amuah²,

Douti³

et al. 2021

Environmental Challenges

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Healthcare waste (HCW) poses several environmental and public health challenges. However, much attention has not been given to its management. The present study sought to assess the healthcare waste management (HCWM) practices in the Tamale Central Hospital (TCH) by characterizing and measuring the quantities of waste generated and the associated implications. Observation of the value chain of healthcare waste management, waste quantification using a weighing scale (Top-pan-spring balance), and semi-structured interviews were used in the data collection. The study revealed that, except for sharps, there was no segregation of infectious and non-infectious waste, and healthcare waste was not treated before final disposal. The study showed that a daily record of 5.1 kg of sharps, 24.46 kg of infectious waste and 59.45 kg of general waste was generated. The maternity ward produced more general waste (14 kg), whereas the theatre generated the highest infectious waste (5.70 kg) and sharps (0.8 kg) daily. Generally, the maternity ward recorded the highest daily waste generation of 17.9 kg. The waste treatment method available in the hospital was incineration. However, the incinerator was found to be dysfunctional. Thus, an improvised method (dug pit) was used irrespective of the associated health and environmental implications. The study also revealed that the hospital did not quantify the amount of solid waste that was generated. Inadequate finance and lack of supervision were linked to the problem of poor healthcare waste management in the study area. Also, 82% of the workers mentioned that there was poor HCW segregation at the departments whereas 76% of the patients who received healthcare at the facility were unsatisfied with the HCWM practices. A strong linear relationship in the responses made was recorded. The healthcare waste management index showed that the HCWM practice at the facility was unsatisfactory as it was medium-ranked. The study, therefore, recommends that the hospital considers constructing an on-site waste treatment facility, segregate and quantify waste for effective allocation of resources for treating healthcare waste.

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“…Some authors indicate as potential substrates also body parts, blood, chemical drugs, medical devices and syringes, which are very rich in organic matter and can be used as feedstock for biogas production, although possibly raising ethical problems and lack of respect of local cultures (Mohammed et al 2017). The number of hospital centers in China has increased dramatically from 305,000 to 961,830 in space of 10 years and consequently, medical waste has also increased rapidly (Li et al 2014). To enhance the biomass for large-scale application, careful management of hospital waste will increase the potential for biogas production.…”

Section: General Results About China and Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

Technologies, challenges and perspectives of biogas production within an agricultural context. The case of China and Africa

Tagne

Dong

Anagho

et al. 2021

Environ Dev Sustain

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The use of fossil fuels in modern economies has been a success because of the low cost of fossil resources. However, the depletion of fossil reserves, the increase in waste production and global warming concerns have led to increased research on the production of biofuels from renewable resources. Waste production is steadily increasing in quantity and constantly changing in quality, creating enormous risks for the environment and, consequently, for the health of the population. This situation is much more worrying in developing countries, in particular because of the considerable delay in the field of the conversion and recovery of biomaterials, due to their difficulty in approaching the problem in a way that fits their context. The composition of such wastes and residues, rich in organic matter, allows their conversion via biochemical mechanisms, thus constituting an effective solution to address the environmental problems of their disposal. Anaerobic digestion remains a valuable and effective technology for transforming these biomaterials into biogas. The present review focuses on technologies, challenges and areas of application of biogas, especially in China and some African countries, in order to promote the large-scale use of biogas for electricity generation and biofuels. Results point out that China is more used to this technology, while African countries still rely on traditional and less advanced technologies, thus hampering the potential derived from the large availability of biomaterials. Both realities, however, share similar backgrounds about the dimension of the biogas plants and their non-commercial purposes, even if China is recently shifting toward the adoption of a different model. These considerations are used in the article to open an interesting new scenario of political alternatives which may provide a way out from poverty and economic dependence, within the framework of a wider circularity.

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Medical Waste Management in China: A Case Study of Xinxiang

Cited by 15 publications

References 8 publications

Medical waste management in three areas of rural China

Medical waste management in three areas of rural China

Healthcare waste management in the Tamale Central Hospital, northern Ghana. An assessment before the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana

Technologies, challenges and perspectives of biogas production within an agricultural context. The case of China and Africa

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