Nigeria does not have health care waste management plan thus putting its citizens at the risk of infecting blood related diseases, the United States Agency for International Development [USAID], Country Director, said in Abuja weekend.
Health care wastes are ones driven from used syringes, scissors and other hospital wastes that need to be disposed after use because of their risk to humans and the environment.
However, Dr. Abimbola Soyande told newsmen after her team’s courtesy visit to the Minister of Environment, Mr John Odey, the country does not have any plan for health care waste management.
Said she: “Right now, the waste management of the country is in limbo because we don’t have a plan. We don’t have any policy for healthcare waste especially our wastes from hospitals are just mixed with municipal waste. And that means the whole community is at risk of infecting HIV, hepatitis and other blood related illnesses.
Soyande said the purpose of their visit is to intimate the Minister on their efforts to partner the Ministry to develop some documents towards having a proper healthcare waste management in the country.
She said: “we have been working with the Ministries of Environment, Health and other partners to develop three major documents. These are Healthcare Waste Management Guideline, Healthcare Waste Management Policy and Healthcare Waste Management Implementation Plan.”
According to her, the project started in 2002 by the Ministry of Environment where USAID, under a project called Making Medical Injection Safer, helped them in capacity building and technical support.
Speaking earlier, Minister of Environment, Mr John Odey, assured that the documents will be presented to the Federal Executive Council [FEC] for consideration and adoption.
5 responses so far ↓
Tumusiime Kenneth // April 2, 2009 at 1:29 pm |
Iam a waste management consultant in Uganda and have been involved in several awareness programs in the area of waste management. Nowadays i have been running trainings on plastic waste management and i have discovered that most hospital plastic waste is PVC the most dangerous plastics that release dioxins when burnt. I feel people need to have a better understanding on management of plastic waste in relation to hospital waste management. I feel i should be part of the movement in bringing a change in the area of health care waste.Recently, i trained all the nurse managers of Mulago Hospital(Uganda’s National Refferal Hospital) on health care waste management.
I have also found it so important to do awareness on radios and televisions for some people that can not easily be reached i.e. private medical practitioners.Thanks
Engr.(mrs) O A MOkuolu // June 12, 2009 at 9:57 am |
I am a master trainer in health care waste management. I have had the opportunity of training hundreds of medical practitioners and waste handlers on same. I believe the waste management plan for Nigeria should begin at the Hospital facility level.Most Health Care Facilities in Nigeria do not have proper plans for the management of their wastes . Thank You
DADA AYOKUNLE CHRISTOPHER // July 9, 2009 at 12:36 pm |
The issue of medical waste management is very important especially as it portends serious public health implication. In a bid to seeking solution to the nation’s waste management crisis, care should however be made to avoid isolating medical wastes from the whole lot. As we are all aware of the fact that medical wastes still end up in muncipal ‘refuse bins’ or dumpsites, nnce a consolidated municipal waste management progam is put in place, it will inevitably cater for all other sources of wastes inclusing those from the medical sector. As much as I support an action plan for medical wastes, I solocit that whatever approach intended to be used for this calamitous situation should be holistic, giving careful consideration to all other hitherto ignored yet important variables.
Dr. Adeola Eko // December 14, 2009 at 3:14 pm |
I have been involved in Healthcare Waste collection and Training in Lagos State. I support the call for a holistic approach to Healthcare Waste Management (HCWM). Worldwide, the process has shifted from concern for Medical/Clinical Waste to catering for all wastes from healthcare facilities due to their potential to cause harm to people and the environment.
The lack of framework for the proper management and of HCW is a very worrisome issue. A draft for the HCW Plan has been prepared and it addresses HCWM at all levels i.e. Primary to Tertiary leves of Healthcare and includes all types of waste from Healthcare Facilities i.e. domestic/municipal, sharps, pathological pharmaceutical, chemical e.t.c. It has since been prepared but is yet to be fine tuned and passed into law.
Perhaps, if a sponsor is sought for the bill who is member of the Federal Executive Council [FEC] , he/she would be more involved and push for speady adoption.
Dada Ayokunle, Institute of Ecology and Environmental Studies, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria // December 15, 2009 at 10:49 am |
This is indeed a positive development. I am quite optimistic that the proposed draft will also bear in mind the incorporation of management options that are implementable especially in remote areas where the ‘rural-urban’ divide tend to pose problems for previously enacted policies.