This study aimed to develop a gentamicin sulphate-releasing catheter that efficiently prevents urinary tract infections (UTIs) for short-term catheterization. The surfaces of catheters were coated with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and gentamicin sulphate (GS) and subsequently poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA). The influence of PEG molecular weight (Mw) and GS loading on the properties of the catheter were investigated, in terms of antimicrobial activity, drug release behaviour, morphology and mechanical properties. By varying the molecular weight of PEG and drug content, catheters with different surface morphologies were formed. The antimicrobial activity of samples was determined against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. GS release profiles exhibited a biphasic release pattern that began with an initial burst release followed by a prolong release for 12 days. GS release rate increased with reduction in PEG molecular weight from 2,000 to 1,000 Da and increase in GS loading from 50 to 150 mg. Antimicrobial activity studies demonstrated that PEGs, Mw and GS loading play an important role in formation of inhibition zones: the samples with the highest molecular weight of PEG and GS loading exhibited the smallest and largest inhibition zones, respectively. The results showed that coating process led to slight increase in catheter tensile strength and Young’s modulus. Atomic force microscopy confirmed that the surface roughness was increased as a result of coating process. These findings imply that the catheters coated with PEG/PVA have a potential to control the drug release rates to a desired value for urinary catheterization