Diagnóstico de la gestión integral de residuos peligrosos hospitalarios y similares, en establecimientos categorizados como grandes generadores, para los años 2016 y 2017 en el departamento del Cauca

Abstract

Hazardous waste generated by hospitals and healthcare centres, represent risks and difficulties, fundamentally due to the infectious nature of its components. A poor management of these hazardous wastes create not only situations of risk that threaten the health of the hospital’s population (staff and patients), but it can also be the cause of environmental detriment. Therefore, the present case-study seeks to establish a diagnosis of the Integrated Management of hazardous hospital Waste at healthcare facilities that have been categorized as large waste-generators/(contributors), in the Province/(department) of Cauca, during the period of 2016 to 2017. The Registry of Hazardous Waste Generators was used as source of data, to obtain figures on waste generation and management of hospital hazardous-waste. The data hereby, was validated and transmitted by the Autonomous Regional Corporation of Cauca (CRC). Data on internal and external management, was as well provided by the CRC. According to the figures presented, in the department of Cauca, in both, 2016 and 2017, the economic activity that had the highest contribution of hazardous waste, in percentage, is human healthcare, with 36% and 29%, respectively. Even when the most representative economic sectors in 2016 and 2017 were information and communications, energy, gas and water, social, community and personal services, financial and real estate services, agriculture and industry, none of these represent such high generation of hazardous waste.