IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v12y2020i21p9077-d438361.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Inadequacies in Hospital Waste and Sewerage Management in Chattogram, Bangladesh: Exploring Environmental and Occupational Health Hazards

Author

Listed:
  • Batool Behnam

    (Environmental Sciences Program, Asian University for Women, Chattogram 4000, Bangladesh)

  • Shafiqua Nawrin Oishi

    (Public Health Program, Asian University for Women, Chattogram 4000, Bangladesh)

  • Sayed Mohammad Nazim Uddin

    (Environmental Sciences Program, Asian University for Women, Chattogram 4000, Bangladesh)

  • Nazifa Rafa

    (Environmental Sciences Program, Asian University for Women, Chattogram 4000, Bangladesh)

  • Sayed Mohammad Nasiruddin

    (School of Energy and Environmental Engineering, Beijing Key Laboratory of Resource-oriented Treatment of Industrial Pollutants, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China)

  • AKM Moniruzzaman Mollah

    (Head of Science and Math Program, Asian University for Women, Chattogram 4000, Bangladesh)

  • Ma Hongzhi

    (Department of Environmental Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China)

Abstract

Bangladesh has been grappling with the issues of improper hospital waste management. To reflect the inadequacies in existing management practices and the potential implications on the environment and health, this study evaluated the Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice (KAP) of doctors and nurses in a private and a public hospital in Chattogram city via a structured questionnaire survey. At the public hospital, 20.4% of the doctors and 6% of the nurses had occupational illnesses, compared to 36% of the doctors and 26.5% of the nurses at the private hospital. At the public hospital, 67.8% of the nurses wore PPE during waste collection, compared to 17.7% in the private hospital. Hospital wastes and occupational safety are not properly dealt with in both hospitals. An inadequacy was observed in the knowledge of hospital waste management among healthcare workers. The route of hospital wastes from the sources to the end destination was also traced via interviews and focus group discussions, which revealed that disposal practices of the hospital solid waste were environmentally unsustainable. In attempts to show opportunities for environmental and health risks from the hospital wastewater, this study also investigated the quality of the wastewater and tested it for the presence of resistant enteric pathogens. E. coli and S. aureus from both hospitals showed resistance against some common antibiotics used in Bangladesh. The physicochemical properties of the samples were nearly compliant with the Bangladesh Water Quality Standards for hospital wastewater. While more robust sampling and water quality analysis are required, this study provides basic water quality indicators and scope for future research to understand the apparent significant negative impact on the environment and health.

Suggested Citation

  • Batool Behnam & Shafiqua Nawrin Oishi & Sayed Mohammad Nazim Uddin & Nazifa Rafa & Sayed Mohammad Nasiruddin & AKM Moniruzzaman Mollah & Ma Hongzhi, 2020. "Inadequacies in Hospital Waste and Sewerage Management in Chattogram, Bangladesh: Exploring Environmental and Occupational Health Hazards," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-21, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:21:p:9077-:d:438361
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/21/9077/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/21/9077/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Smith, Richard D. & Yago, Milton & Millar, Michael & Coast, Jo, 2005. "Assessing the macroeconomic impact of a healthcare problem: The application of computable general equilibrium analysis to antimicrobial resistance," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 24(6), pages 1055-1075, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Hafner, Marco & Yerushalmi, Erez & Andersson, Fredrik L. & Burtea, Teodor, 2020. "Quantifying the macroeconomic cost of night-time bathroom visits: an application to the UK," CAFE Working Papers 5, Centre for Accountancy, Finance and Economics (CAFE), Birmingham City Business School, Birmingham City University.
    2. Md. Mahmudul Alam & Haitian Wei & Abu N. M. Wahid, 2021. "COVID‐19 outbreak and sectoral performance of the Australian stock market: An event study analysis," Australian Economic Papers, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 60(3), pages 482-495, September.
    3. Farasat A.S. Bokhari & Franco Mariuzzo & Weijie Yan, 2019. "Antibacterial resistance and the cost of affecting demand: the case of UK antibiotics," Working Paper series, University of East Anglia, Centre for Competition Policy (CCP) 2019-03, Centre for Competition Policy, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK..
    4. Ahmed, S. Amer & Baris, Enis & Go, Delfin S & Lofgren, Hans & Osorio Rodarte, Israel & Thierfelder, Karen, 2017. "Assessing the Global Economic and Poverty Effects of Antimicrobial Resistance," Conference papers 332903, Purdue University, Center for Global Trade Analysis, Global Trade Analysis Project.
    5. George Verikios & Maura Sullivan & Pane Stojanovski & James Giesecke & Gordon Woo, 2016. "Assessing Regional Risks From Pandemic Influenza: A Scenario Analysis," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(8), pages 1225-1255, August.
    6. Smith, Richard D., 2006. "Responding to global infectious disease outbreaks: Lessons from SARS on the role of risk perception, communication and management," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 63(12), pages 3113-3123, December.
    7. Ahmed, Syud Amer & Barış, Enis & Go, Delfin S. & Lofgren, Hans & Osorio-Rodarte, Israel & Thierfelder, Karen, 2018. "Assessing the global poverty effects of antimicrobial resistance," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 148-160.
    8. Marcus R. Keogh‐Brown & Simon Wren‐Lewis & W. John Edmunds & Philippe Beutels & Richard D. Smith, 2010. "The possible macroeconomic impact on the UK of an influenza pandemic," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 19(11), pages 1345-1360, November.
    9. Eswaran, Mukesh & Gallini, Nancy, 2017. "Can Competition Extend the Golden Age of Antibiotics?," Microeconomics.ca working papers -2017-9, Vancouver School of Economics, revised 19 Oct 2017.
    10. Weatherly, Helen & Drummond, Michael & Claxton, Karl & Cookson, Richard & Ferguson, Brian & Godfrey, Christine & Rice, Nigel & Sculpher, Mark & Sowden, Amanda, 2009. "Methods for assessing the cost-effectiveness of public health interventions: Key challenges and recommendations," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 93(2-3), pages 85-92, December.
    11. Judith Kabajulizi, 2013. "Macroeconomic Implications Of Health Sector Reforms In Uganda: A Computable General Equilibrium Analysis," EcoMod2013 5158, EcoMod.
    12. Rutten, Martine & Reed, Geoffrey, 2009. "A comparative analysis of some policy options to reduce rationing in the UK's NHS: Lessons from a general equilibrium model incorporating positive health effects," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 28(1), pages 221-233, January.
    13. Bokhari, Farasat A.S. & Mariuzzo, Franco & Yan, Weijie, 2024. "Antibacterial resistance and the cost of affecting demand: The case of UK antibiotics," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    14. Thomas Heister & Christian Hagist & Klaus Kaier, 2017. "Resistance Elasticity of Antibiotic Demand in Intensive Care," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 26(7), pages 892-909, July.
    15. Eswaran, Mukesh & Gallini, Nancy, 2016. "Rescuing the Golden Age of Antibiotics: Can Economics Help Avert the Looming Crisis?," Economics working papers nancy_gallini-2016-9, Vancouver School of Economics, revised 04 Jul 2016.
    16. Verikios, George & Dixon, Peter B. & Rimmer, Maureen T. & Harris, Anthony H., 2015. "Improving health in an advanced economy: An economywide analysis for Australia," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 250-261.
    17. David Epstein & Dolores Jiménez‐Rubio & Peter C. Smith & Marc Suhrcke, 2009. "Social determinants of health: an economic perspective," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 18(5), pages 495-502, May.
    18. Joke Bilcke & Philippe Beutels & Marc Brisson & Mark Jit, 2011. "Accounting for Methodological, Structural, and Parameter Uncertainty in Decision-Analytic Models," Medical Decision Making, , vol. 31(4), pages 675-692, July.
    19. P. Beutels & W. J. Edmunds & R. D. Smith, 2008. "Partially wrong? Partial equilibrium and the economic analysis of public health emergencies of international concern," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 17(11), pages 1317-1322, November.
    20. Cozzi, Guido & Galli, Silvia, 2022. "Covid-19 Vaccines, Innovation, and Intellectual Property Rights," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1095, Global Labor Organization (GLO).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:21:p:9077-:d:438361. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.