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International agreement has been reached on a number of underlying principles that govern either public health or safe management of hazardous waste.
These principles should be taken into consideration when both national legislation and regulations as well as internal HCF rules governing healthcare waste management are prepared.
...at national level
A national law on HCWM is the basis for improving healthcare waste practices in any country. It establishes legal controls and permits the national agency responsible for the disposal of healthcare waste, in most cases the ministry of health, to apply pressure for their implementation.
It should define clearly the duties and responsibilities of each actor involved in the HCWM process, at central, regional and local levels.
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...at HCF level
Considering that waste producers (HCFs) have a legal and financial responsibility ("polluter pays principle") for managing healthcare waste safely ("duty of care principle"), taking all necessary measures to minimize risks ("precautionary principle"), it is in their interest that they have internal rules and codes of practice that help them achieve these goals in the most cost effective and sustainable way possible.
As for any regulatory framework, it won't have much impact if there is no official body that can monitor compliance and has the means of enforcing laws and regulations.
Resources
The WHO manual "Safe management of wastes from healthcare activities" provides in chapter 4 some useful recommendations in respect to legislative and regulatory issues.
In the near future, examples pertaining to the legal and regulatory framework will be made available via the country information database.
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