Improper Biomedical Waste Treatment Dangerous—Study

Dr Victor Bampoe interacting with Franklin Cudjoe, IMANI CEO, and Girmay Haile, UNAIDS country coordinator

Biomedical waste improperly managed can cause health risks to health workers, the general public and the environment, a study has revealed.

The study, 'Biomedical Waste Management In Ghana: A Need for Urgent Attention  & Legislation', showed that exposure to biomedical waste, including infectious waste, chemical and pharmaceutical waste, pathological waste and radioactive waste can result in disease or injury.

Biomedical waste is generated from biological and medical sources, including medical laboratories, hospitals and clinics. They include discarded blood and gloves, used bandages and sharps such as syringes, needles and blades.

Brian Dsanzi and Keshia Osei-Kufour, researchers from IMANI Centre for Policy and Education, who conducted the study, indicated that everyone is at risk from foul odour from burial pits, toxic smokes from incinerator and contaminated ground water from direct deposit in manhole which is the means by which biomedical waste is currently disposed of in health facilities.

Ms Osei-Kufour, taking stakeholders through the various findings of the study, said the most common biomedical waste disposal method as revealed by the 200 randomly selected health officials interviewed on the waste disposal methods in Greater Accra was open burning or incineration.

Citing findings from the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, she said the research found that only 20 percent of solid waste was separated using the coloured disposable bags to keep track of the different waste types.

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“Though there were paraphernalia promoting segregation into different coloured containers, they actually were not in use only one out of the three brick incinerators and one of the two of the mechanical incinerator were operational. Overseeing staff also forewent protective gear and there were blocked sewage system resulting in liquid waste being disposed of in the nearby lagoon,” Ms Osei-Kufour said.

Brian Dsanzi, explaining the hazardous nature of improper biomedical waste disposal, mentioned that burning or unregulated incinerating of such toxic chemicals are not safe as they emit toxic air pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, particulates, dioxins and heavy metals.

“These toxic chemicals find their way into the soil and contaminates water bodies or the ground water- this is dangerous to plants, animals and people who depend on wells for drinking washing and other agricultural activities,” he added.

He said this can cause gastro enteric infections, respiratory infections, ocular infection, genital infection, skin infection, meningitis, haemorrhagic fevers, and viral hepatitis A, B and C.

The research, therefore, called on the Ministry of Health (MoH) to review its existing policy on biomedical waste disposal and the enactment of a legislative instrument to enforce implementation of existing laws.

“Offsite treatment and disposal of waste is better option than onsite facilities. Increase awareness on medical waste management and the dangers of improperly managed biomedical waste. Waste segregation using colour codes as described in the MoH policy guidelines should be enforced strictly,” it said.

Dr Victor Bampoe, Deputy Minister of Health, in his remarks said the ministry would take the outcomes and recommendations of the study very seriously to see how best practices can be applied to biomedical waste disposal.

By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri