بررسی کمیت، کیفیت و دفع پسماندهای مراکز بهداشتی و درمانی شهرستان گچساران

Background and purpose: Medical wastes are amongst the main problems of solid waste management and have some serious health risks. Their management is of great importance since they could threaten human health. The aim of this study was to determine the quality, quantity and the method of medical waste disposal in Gachsaran. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in healthcare settings in Gachsaran including 20 doctor’s offices, seven clinics, five health stations, four outpatient clinics, three laboratories, nine health centers, and 51 health houses. Census sampling was performed in which three samples were chosen during three months from each healthcare setting. The mean of three samples was considered as the final weight. Excel and SPSS software and descriptive statistics were applied to analyze the data. Results: The mean amounts of total waste, infectious waste, and non-infectious waste generated in Ghachsaran health settings were 625, 201, and 424 kg per day, respectively. Total amount of referrals was 2031 and the amount of waste produced per capita was 307.7g. Doctor’s offices and health houses generated the highest and lowest amount of infectious wastes (70 and 4.5 kg, respectively). Conclusion: Infectious wastes are produced at a high rate in healthcare settings. Moreover, there are different types of healthcare settings that generate many wastes, therefore, it is necessary to perform continues monitoring, on their management, particularly on collection and disposal process. These measures could maintain and enhance the health of exposed people and other people in the society.