Publication
Managing medical waste in Ghana – the reality
| Name: | Description: | Size: | Format: | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.12 MB | Adobe PDF |
Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
This study estimates the Medical Waste (MW) generated and the handling process in six Healthcare Facilities (HF) in Ghana, Sub- Saharan Africa (SSA), and identifies the associated parameters. The data were collected by field work and MW collection, identification and weighing. The results indicate that the average rate of infec- tious MW ranged from 0.23 to 2.34 kg/bed/day (M = 0.95 kg/bed/ day), and 0.24 to 1.68 kg/bed/day for non-infectious MW (M = 0.56 kg/bed/day). An amount of 11.41 tonnes of MW were estimated in the six HF in Greater Accra and Eastern Region in Ghana, comprising 49.1% infectious MW. The results suggest that the number of outpatients/day and the size of HF are the main predictors for the MW generation. The study shows that the segre- gation of MW is not correctly practised in the studied HF since 33% used the uncontrolled combustion process of open burning and dumping to handle 0.99 tonnes (8.7%) of MW.
Description
https://v2.sherpa.ac.uk/id/publication/5394
Keywords
Waste Hazardous Disposal Hospital Health Ghana
Citation
APA7th: Debrah, J. K., Carlotto, I. N., Vidal, D. G., & Dinis, M. A. P. (2023). Managing Medical Waste in Ghana – the Reality. International Journal of Environmental Studies, 80(6), 1539-1555. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207233.2021.1994752
Publisher
Taylor & Francis