Managing healthcare waste in Ghana: a comparative study of public and private hospitals

Purpose - The paper aims to examine the healthcare waste management practices of selected hospitals in Ghana. Design/methodology/approach - The study adopted a multiple case approach, using two public and two private hospitals. Findings - Findings indicate that both public hospitals and one private hospital have a waste management policy. Public and private hospitals have waste management plans and waste management teams. Public hospitals were found to generate more waste than the private hospitals. One private hospital and the public hospitals segregate their waste into different categories. This is done by first identifying the waste type and then separating non-infectious or general waste from infectious waste. Both public and private hospitals have internal storage facilities for temporarily storing the waste before they are finally disposed off-site. On-site transportation in the public hospitals is done by using wheelbarrows, while covered bins with wheels are used to transport waste on-site in the private hospitals. In public and private hospitals, off-site transportation of the hospital waste is undertaken by Municipal Assemblies with the use of trucks. Both public and private hospitals employ standard methods for disposing of healthcare waste. Originality/value - The article provides insights into healthcare waste management from a Ghanaian perspective.