Readiness of Healthcare Facilities to Implement Onsite Healthcare Waste Management Protocols and Incineration Guidelines in Tanzania

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess Readiness of Healthcare facilities to Implement onsite Healthcare Waste Management Protocols and Incineration Guidelines in Tanzania. To address this, a national assessment was conducted country wide to assess readiness of Healthcare Facilities (HCFs) to undertake various Healthcare Waste Management (HCWM) initiatives with particular focus to adherence to HCWM protocols and incineration guidelines. The assessment of healthcare waste management was conducted in facilities in the 26 regions of Tanzania mainland for one month. A standardized checklist and tools were used to assess and monitor various aspects related to healthcare waste management using open source software for data collection (ODK). Data were analyzed using SPSS computer software. It was observed that 46.2%, 33.3% and 25% of the health centres, district hospitals and regional hospitals did not have appointed supervisors, which makes it difficult for the HCFs to perform better in managing healthcare waste in their respective facilities. It was further revealed that healthcare facilities have made remarkable improvement in the overall healthcare waste management with evidence of ongoing common activity on purchasing injection safety boxes (69.2%) and purchasing of waste bins (53.8%) at all levels. On average, about 70% of the HCFs have plans and budget though inadequate to support HCWM activities. In a conclusion Healthcare Facilities must designate a better system to compressively address healthcare waste management issues. Again the findings provide evidence for those engaged in improving HCF conditions to develop evidence-based policies and efficient programs, enhance service delivery systems, and make better use of available resources.