Injection practices and sharp waste disposal by general practitioners of Murree, Pakistan.

OBJECTIVE To describe the injection and sharp waste disposal practices of general practitioners of Murree, Pakistan. METHODOLOGY In-depth interviews of all general practitioners available between 10th to 20th July 2000 were conducted. Practitioners were interviewed about injection administration and disposal of waste due to injections and other sharp material. RESULTS Twenty general practitioners out of 25 were interviewed. All claimed using disposable syringes only once. None of them was disposing off syringes in sharp containers in the clinic. Of 20, 12 (60%) were throwing syringes at open places and 5 (25%) in municipal waste bins. Most of the injections by general practitioners were administered for fever, body aches, diarrhea and respiratory tract infection. CONCLUSION Sharp waste disposal is not safe in Murree. Improper disposal of sharp waste needs development of cost effective methods that are applicable at a small scale. Larger studies are required to quantify the gravity of the problem.