Abstract
Introduction For a medicine to qualify as safe and effective and to be of good quality, it should be properly labelled, stored, and transported. If a medicine is not handled properly, it ends up being unfit. Improper disposal of unfit medicines contributes to the appearance of their metabolites in the environment. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study was designed to capture quantitative data. The study was conducted in Mwanza region, Tanzania. The study population comprised nongovernmental hospitals and private medicines outlets in the region. The sample size was 111 facilities. This study was conducted between October 2013 and May 2014. The questionnaire was used to assess experience and challenges of dealing with unfit medicines. A review of waste management records was done to capture data of past disposal for unfit medicines. The coded data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (Version 20.0) computer analysis software. Comparison of proportions between groups was performed using Pearson's chi square. Results The majority of facilities (41.4%) used methods such as the pouring of unfit medicines into the sink and into the dustbin. About 60.4% of facilities were found with unfit medicines at the time of survey. Majority of unfit medicines found were antibiotics (64.1%). Almost 10% of health facilities maintained a register book for recording unfit medicines. Conclusion There was improper disposal of unfit medicines in health facilities studied, whereby commonly reported methods of disposal were pouring into the sink and putting into the street dustbin. In private medicines outlets, there was poor storage management practice as some of the unfit medicines were left unpacked into boxes or separated from the usable medicines and not properly labelled.
Highlights
For a medicine to qualify as safe and effective and to be of good quality, it should be properly labelled, stored, and transported
Results from a survey of hospitals in Metropolitan Lagos, Nigeria, to assess medical waste management (MWM) practices and their implications to health and environments revealed a high rate of noncompliance to the Nigerian National Guidelines for MWM, whereby medical waste, including medicines from the surveyed facilities, was disposed off alongside municipal solid waste. e main reason cited was weak regulatory enforcement by the relevant authorities [21]
Is study revealed that more than eighty percent of health facilities undertake disposal of unfit medicines when necessary, while almost ten percent dispose off unfit medicines annually (Table 1). is entails that many facilities have had no standard protocols to guide them on the timing and frequency with which disposal should be conducted
Summary
Medicines are commonly used by the healthcare system to diagnose, treat, or prevent illnesses Because of their importance in improving public health services, regulatory processes concerning their quality are necessary to ensure that intended treatment outcomes are met. Results from a survey of hospitals in Metropolitan Lagos, Nigeria, to assess medical waste management (MWM) practices and their implications to health and environments revealed a high rate of noncompliance to the Nigerian National Guidelines for MWM, whereby medical waste, including medicines from the surveyed facilities, was disposed off alongside municipal solid waste. Is study intends to assess practices and challenges encountered in managing disposal of unfit medicines in nongovernmental hospitals and private medicines outlets in the Mwanza region. Such assessments endeavour to provide valuable information for local health policy makers, TFDA, health services providers in private sectors, and all other stakeholders involved in disposal of unfit medicines to effectively plan, manage, and supervise their safe disposal
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