5. Conclusions
The study shows that public facilities generate most of the hazardous
healthcare waste in the Kingdom of Bahrain. These facilities
demonstrate better waste management practices in comparison to
small private facilities. Evidence of good practice on hazardous
waste management was observed at large facilities including initiatives
to segregate waste, presence of centralized waste storage
areas, and limiting on-site storage period to one day or less. The
study has also shown that most large healthcare facilities make
use of an appropriate and dedicated company for the transport
and treatment of their hazardous wastes. However, there are aspects
in certain areas which need attention and require improvement
among them waste inventory, use of proper colour coded
bags, on-site waste storage condition, hazardous liquid waste disposal,
staff training and supervision and facility auditing.
Management of healthcare waste in the Kingdom of Bahrain
has shown positive signs of improvement in recent years. This
improvement has been demonstrated through national healthcare
waste legislation, and the establishment of a centralized controlled
incineration facility for treating hazardous wastes. However, in
order to achieve effective waste management, enforcement of legislation,
providing detailed legislative guideline on waste management
and prevention, and movement towards integrated waste
management approach are needed to achieve this goal.