Environmental and Public Health Risks Resulting from Poor Healthcare Waste Management: A Study of a Sample of Healthcare Centers Operating in Zliten Municipality

Abstract

This study aimed to assess healthcare waste management practices and the associated environmental and public health risks in healthcare centers operating in Zliten Municipality from the employees’ perspective. The study adopted a descriptive-analytical approach and used a structured questionnaire as the primary data collection instrument. The sample consisted of 120 participants, including medical personnel, allied healthcare workers such as nurses and technicians, administrative employees, and occupational safety and environmental officers. The independent variable was healthcare waste management practices, comprising three dimensions: segregation and collection at source, occupational safety and personal protection measures, and transportation, temporary storage, and governance. The dependent variable covered perceived environmental and public health risks. Data were analyzed using SPSS through means, standard deviations, one-sample t-tests, Pearson correlation, and one-way analysis of variance.

The results showed that the overall level of healthcare waste management practices was relatively high, with a mean score of 3.68. Segregation and collection at source ranked first with a mean of 3.83, followed by occupational safety and preventive measures with a mean of 3.69, while transportation, temporary storage, and governance ranked last with a mean of 3.53. Employees’ perception of environmental and health risks was high, with an overall mean of 3.94, indicating strong awareness of the risks associated with waste mixing, inadequate protection, unsafe disposal of sharps, open burning, and untreated liquid waste discharge. A strong positive correlation was found between healthcare waste management practices and risk awareness (r = 0.712, p < 0.001). Statistically significant differences were also identified according to job title, years of experience, and number of training courses. The study concluded that healthcare centers have an acceptable foundation for waste management; however, significant improvements are required in periodic training, institutional governance, injury reporting, waste tracking, specialized transportation, and contracting with accredited waste treatment providers. An integrated management system is therefore necessary to protect healthcare workers, the surrounding community, groundwater, soil, and the coastal environment.