Healthcare Waste Management; its Impact: A Case Study of the Greater Accra Region, Ghana.

Abstract

Hospital waste management is an imperative environmental and public safety issue, due to the waste’s infectious and hazardous character. In recent years, hospital waste management has become a growing issue of concern with the increasing evidence suggesting health hazards related to health care waste (HCW) inflicted upon the service providers, patients and the community as a whole. Ghana, a developing country, has little information on the healthcare waste generate, how it is handle, and its disposal. The study analyzed the healthcare waste management practices in the Greater Accra Region, Ghana. The study involved 120 healthcare centers in the region. A total of 150 healthcare estate officers and waste management workers. Site visits, interviews, and survey questionnaires were implemented to collect information regarding different medical waste management aspects, including medical waste generation, separation, collection, storage, transportation, and disposal. Results from the study shows 8221.2kg waste per bed per day {1.2kg bed-1 day-1 *6,851 beds} are generated. An analysis per the population size of Ghana (25 million) as against a projection estimate by 2025 shows that, healthcare waste will increase greatly, hence the need for strategic focus on it management as accepted internationally. Comparing the finding of the waste generation rate to other studies Greater Region of Ghana has a much higher generation rate of healthcare waste. In conclusion, healthcare centers in the Greater Accra Region do not abide to the accepted healthcare waste management policy of Ghana. It is recommended that laws of best standard of healthcare waste management should be passed and enforced by the Ministry of Local Government, to improve the current situation and to protect the environment and human health.