Title: Medical waste management practices in developing countries: a case study of health facilities in Akure, Nigeria

Authors: Babajide Milton Macaulay; Frank Muhammed Odiase

Addresses: Department of Biology, Environmental Biology and Public Health Unit, Federal University of Technology, PMB 704 Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria ' Department of Biology, Environmental Biology and Public Health Unit, Federal University of Technology, PMB 704 Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria

Abstract: Poor medical waste management (MWM), which is a serious problem in developing countries, is reported to have direct health and environmental consequences. Therefore, this study investigated the mode of medical waste collection, segregation, pre-treatment, storage and disposal of ten randomly-selected health facilities in Akure, the capital city of Ondo State, Nigeria. A total of 32 questionnaires and 17 oral interviews were conducted. There are numerous factors impeding proper MWM in the city; however, the following are the most significant: inappropriate waste storage structures sited in public places and held in unhygienic conditions; general lack of medical waste pre-treatment; establishment of internal regulations that are generally not followed; provision of PPE by only 40% of the hospitals; and scavengers gaining access to the state approved permanent dump site. There is, therefore, an urgent need for the legal regulation of MWM practices in the state to reduce health/environmental risks posed by medical waste.

Keywords: healthcare waste; medical waste management; MWM; medical waste regulation; landfill; Nigeria; developing countries; case study; waste storage structures; unhygienic conditions; waste pre-treatment; internal regulations; personal protection equipment; PPE; hospitals; scavenger access; health risks; environmental risks.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEWM.2016.076756

International Journal of Environment and Waste Management, 2016 Vol.17 No.2, pp.103 - 127

Received: 10 Jun 2015
Accepted: 10 Feb 2016
Published online: 26 May 2016 *

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