Health of Nurses versus Waste (Issue on the Occasion of International Nurses Day-12 May) By Er. Dinesh Pd.

Bhatt, bhattdai@gmail.com
Lecturer, Insitute of Engineering ,Thapathali Campus

The International Council of Nurses (ICN) use to celibrate "Nurses Day" since 1965. In January 1974, ICN decided to celebrate the day on 12th May as it is the birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale, who is widely remembered as the founder of modern nursing. Later in 2003, it is also expanded as the Nurses week besides Nurses Day between 6 and 12 May. Natively, the U.S. and Canada celebrate their National Nursing Week each year from 9 to 15 May. Nurses week as well as nursing day is one of the nation's largest health care events, recognizing the contributions and commitments nurses make and educating the public about the significant work they perform in several countries. Each year, they prepare and distribute the International Nurses' Day kit containning educational and public information materials for use by nurses allover the world. But at the meantime, the nurses of Nepal whome the writer iterected are not in enough access of such materials. This year IND kit is providing material to strengthen understanding of access and equity and the effect of inequality on health with outlining the barriers that exist and how we can increase access and equity. It also shines a light on the importance of the social determinants of health, demonstrating how nurses can address these and in so doing improve access and ensure equity in the care provided. The writer wants to present his gratefulness to all nurses of the world for there noble contributions to save the civilization. In this great event, we should raise the question to policy maker to be serious about the impacts of HCW on nurses. Health care wastes are not primary concern of hospital mangers as they are not vulnerable. If we become able to make this as a national issue nurses along with other coherent staffs those are most vulnerable due to health care waste can get relief. This will be real gift and honor to nurses to raise voices for their occupational safety by society. Nurses along with other coherent staffs can contribute a lot to HCW if policy of hospital goes to solve this problem. Health experts and environmentalist always have urged authorities to manage waste generated by hospitals in Nepal. The numeral of hospitals is getting higher, but mechanism for management of hospital waste is missing. It cannot put enough pressure on the policy makers to manage HCW. We are here to ask, are they sleeping? Because, they are not thinking about, potential source of transmitting infection, health hazards to doctors, nurses, and other personnel either working or providing supportive services to the health care facilities, as well as defective transportation and disposal may cause public health hazard. Each health care institution should develop a waste management policy, outlining the accountabilities and responsibilities of managers, employees and staffs. It is the responsibility of health care institution to comply with guidelines, to ensure proper classification, segregation, containment, treatment and disposal of waste. The management of the hospital is responsible for correct and clear separation and disposal of waste since it is potentially hazardous to patients, staff and community at large. It covers the whole process right from the sick bed, laboratory, operation theater or kitchen up to its delivery to the disposal system. The policy must have its feet towards waste minimization, segregation at source, collection, storage, transportation, measurement, treatment, disposal, worker training,

worker health and safety. All health care establishments should have comprehensive waste disposal plans and evolve technique to collect, transport, store, and reuse and dispose hospital waste safely and gainfully. Segregation of waste at the point of generation is the most important activity for an effective hospital waste management. It is the responsibility of waste procedure to separate the waste at the source of waste generation. There is pereseance of nurses where the hospital waste is generated. They have to handle all off the things before they tuned as waste. This surely made them most valnarable towards these wastes as well as add responsibility and oppurtunity to manage HCW. Segregation may vary from hospital to hospital depending on treatment system and the policies practiced within the hospital. It is suggested to segregate their waste into three categorize i.e. hazardous, non hazardous and sharps, but we are lacking to do it. Suitable containers or bags are placed in all prominent location where the waste are supposed to be generated. The hospital waste should preferably be collected in a standard disposable polyethylene bag fitted with a fastener. Covered plastic bucket or some strong receptacle should be used for collection of pointed articles like syringe etc. But we can find these facilities in some private hospitals only. To reduce vuleranibility of health care staffs and public due to HCW, the suggested measures are awareness creation amongst the hospital staff members and population, assign the specific responsibility to the hospital staff with proper training, waste segregation, ensure safe storage and transportation of wastes, ensure staff and workers safety.