Infectious Waste Management in General Hospitals in Lusaka, Zambia: Perspectives of Healthcare Workers

Purpose: Poorly managed infectious waste was the cause of majority of accidents and exposures to infectious waste in general hospitals in Zambia. The overall aim of this study was to appraise infectious waste management in the five general hospitals in Lusaka, Zambia. Methodology: An explorative qualitative study was conducted to assess infectious waste management in Lusaka, Zambia, nesting the perspectives of 21 healthcare workers drawn from five general hospitals in Lusaka district. Findings: The results showed that, the state of infectious waste management in a cross-section of general hospitals in Zambia had fallen short of the World Health recommended standards. A myriad of contributing factors to poor waste management amplified included, lack of regular staff training, insufficient infectious waste management equipment and inadequate protective clothing for waste handling, stock out of colour- coded bin liners and bins was a common occurrence. Other key findings were, limited space for storing waste before disposal or transportation and the lack of awareness about segregation and waste management rules as well as the limited financial resources to procure standard infectious waste protection and disposal equipment. Unique Contribution to Theory, Policy and Practice: The study recommended to conduct longitudinal studies across hospitals to establish the impact of waste management practices and its corresponding health risks, the government to effectively fund hospitals to enable them train health workers, procure adequate infectious waste management equipment among others in case of delayed supplies from or central supply chain and to sub contract the private sector or social entrepreneurs to manage waste on behalf of hospitals to address the current challenges facing the general hospitals while seeking for sustainable long term solutions. Furthermore, ZEMA should increase its operational capacity to enhance effective monitoring of Health Care Institutions over Health Care Waste compliance and surveillances.