ASSESSMENT OF HEALTHCARE SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT IN LONG XUYEN CITY, AN GIANG PROVINCE, VIETNAM

Abstract

Management of healthcare solid waste, especially hazardous medical waste, is an important and necessary action due to its potential risks to the environment and public health. In recent years, environmental protection and management agencies have made great efforts when combining waste collection, treatment, and management. In this study, the current situation of generation, management, collection, and treatment of healthcare waste, especially hazardous medical waste, of hospitals in Long Xuyen City, An Giang Province (Vietnam) was surveyed via site investigation, survey, and questionnaire. Hazardous medical waste, which accounts for 21% of total healthcare waste, is mainly generated in central hospitals, especially for An Giang Central General Hospital with about 103 kg/day. Almost all of the healthcare waste is segregated at the source, contained, and stored in standard containers. In hazardous medical waste, the infectious one accounted for 99.11% of the total amount of hazardous medical waste generated. After collection, most hazardous medical wastes are brought to Binh Duc landfill by special vehicles for burning and treatment while Hanh Phuc hospital treats the waste itself by a dedicated incinerator. Although the management in the Long Xuyen city area is relatively good, there are still some shortcomings that need improvements such as state policies, operation of treatment systems, and quality control of post-treated waste. Therefore, several solutions have been proposed to improve the management and treatment of hazardous medical waste in this area, which could be also applied in other regions of Vietnam.