A study of medical waste disposal in private medical laboratories in Hebron City –Palestine.

Medical waste management is of great importance due to its infectious and hazardous nature that can cause widespread of disease on humans and contaminate the environment. Only minor attention has been directed to its proper handling and disposal. 34 private medical laboratories in Hebron city in the west bank of Palestine was studied to know how they manage the medical wastes produced in these laboratories. The amount of medical waste generated was 0.190 kg/ patient .day, 77% of the laboratories studied separate the waste to its categories, 43% separate only the infectious waste, 68% of the laboratories treat the hazardous waste before disposal,. Medical Laboratory Specialists have weak knowledge about proper medical waste management. They need training and technical support from MOH by employing consultants in medical waste management.