| [ Summary ] |
Though the number of patients receiving home peritoneal dialysis is increasing, the system to handle medical wastes from in home treatment is still inadequate. Even though ten years have passed since the former Ministry of Health and Welfare declared that “Medical waste from in home treatment is categorized as general waste and shall be processed by municipalities”, used peritoneal dialysis bags are sometimes rejected for disposal. In a questionnaire provided by our hospital in Tokyo, approximately 30 % of patients have experienced rejections when trying to dispose of dialysis equipment. Such rejecticns are estimated to be gradually increasing. Most of the cases are attributable to garbage collectors. Adequate explanations of disposal methods by medical institutions to patients, as well as cooperation between administrative agencies and garbage collectors is necessary to avoid patient stress. |