Medical Waste Management in Jordanian Healthcare Institutions and their Effect on Human and Environment ( Analytical Study)

Abstract

Jordan is considered one of the best healthcare provider in the Middle East and North Africa. The health care sector has grown rapidly which reflected the large amount of medical waste. There is a need for a deep exploration for the national strategy of medical waste management as well as the level of knowledge, perception and practices in our healthcare centers. Transversal study has discussed knowledge, perception and practices of all healthcare providers working under Ministry of Health and follow its instructions regarding medical waste management. The study data were collected by two methods ,the first was the annual reports issued by Ministry of Health and the second was by conducting a survey that was filled by 127 respondents, using questions to detect the socio-demographic characteristics and questions to measure the level of perception and the common practices in Jordan health care institutions.  Using t-test and one-way ANOVA statistics analysis by SPSS V28 it had noted that there was significant difference on respondents' responses with differences in sector type while the other characteristics showed similarities.  The growth rate of population that used in calculations was estimated by 2% and the rate of medical waste per one medication in healthcare center was measured by 100 gram. The healthcare centers produced 1030.9 tons of medical waste at 2018 and the numbers will jump to 1240 tons in 2025.The levels of knowledge need more work by trainings while the quality control and authorities should take immediate actions on the application of instructions and regulations.