Abstract
Inappropriate medical waste (MW) management practices have become one of the major concerns in developing countries. The objectives of this study are to appraise the procedures and techniques available in collection and segregation of MW, treatment and recycling processes, disposal practices and compliances with rules and regulations in the Health-care Facilities (HCFs) in Ota, South West Nigeria. The HCFs visited includes general hospital, private hospitals, clinics, and primary health-care centers. The survey involved the use of structured questionnaires, in-depth interviews and on-site observations. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software application was employed for analysis. Responses were coded using a linkert scaling procedure. Hypotheses were tested using Bivariate regression technique involving inferential statistics. In addition, the study utilized chi-square non-parametric test for normal distributional effect of the variables. Results showed that MW management practices in most facilities are not totally in line with prescribed standards as expected. It is recommended that a sustained cooperation should be developed among all key actors (government, HCF’s responsible and waste managers) so as to implement a safe and reliable medical waste management strategy. This should not only be limited to legislation and policy formulation but also in its monitoring and enforcement. Key words: Medical waste management, health-care facilities, statistical analysis, health risk, sustainability practice.
Highlights
Generation of waste is indispensible with respect to Health-care Facilities (HCFs) activities, but knowledge of its hazards and good disposable practices has been very poor
Medical waste has continued to generate increasing public interest due to the health problems associated with exposure of human beings to potentially hazardous wastes arising from health-care facilities (Tudor et al, 2005; Da Silva et al, 2005; Oke, 2008; Coker et al, 2009; PATH, 2009; Adegbite et al, 2010)
Medical wastes are from hospitals, primary health-care centers (PHCs), dispensaries, dialysis centers, first-aid posts and sick bays, medical and biomedical laboratories, biotechnology laboratories, medical research centers, mortuary and autopsy centers, blood banks and blood collecting centers, nursing homes for elderly, maternity homes, pharmaceutical, chemical and chemist stores
Summary
Generation of waste is indispensible with respect to Health-care Facilities (HCFs) activities, but knowledge of its hazards and good disposable practices has been very poor. Medical waste has continued to generate increasing public interest due to the health problems associated with exposure of human beings to potentially hazardous wastes arising from health-care facilities (Tudor et al, 2005; Da Silva et al, 2005; Oke, 2008; Coker et al, 2009; PATH, 2009; Adegbite et al, 2010). Studies have highlighted that ineffective management of infectious hospital waste in developing countries can compromise the quality of patient care and create significant occupational public and environmental health risks (Cole, 2000; Coker et al, 2009)
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