Comparison Of Covid-19 Medical Waste Management Strategies For Hospitals In Developed And Developing Country

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has not only caused a health emergency but also an emergency for medical waste, which as the number of COVID-19 infections increases, the generation of medical waste will also increase. Objective: This article aims to find out the pattern of handling COVID-19 B3 medical waste from hospitals in developed and developing countries. Method: This article is a systematic review using the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis) model. Results: There are 13 articles that analyze to find out the management of COVID-19 medical waste originating from hospitals from developing countries as well as developed countries. Result and Discussion: There are some similarities and differences in decision-making regarding COVID-19 waste treatment. Conclusions: Some countries are still adopting waste regulations in the pre-COVID-19 period. The thermal method of exterminating waste is still the best way to be chosen. However, the use of the incinerator method in some developing countries is still small.

A Review of the Impact That Healthcare Risk Waste Treatment Technologies Have on the Environment

“…The high heat is the use of incinerators, and the low heat is the use of autoclaving, microwave irradiation, chemical methods, and plasma pyrolysis. However, incineration and autoclaving are the most common treatment methods of treatment in a majority of countries, including South Africa [60][61][62].…”

“…The incineration of HCRW seems to be the most preferred method of treating waste because of its success in eliminating micro-organisms and the fact that it reduces the quantities of waste [62,72]. The high success rate of eliminating micro-organisms is because the temperature that is used is extremely high, but this means more energy and fuels are used [42].…”

“…However, the autoclave presents fewer problems compared to the other treatment technologies. This has made the autoclave method to be better preferred [62]. This is because autoclaves are cheaper to procure, use less energy, and have less environmental pollution compared to the incinerators.…”