Hospital solid waste management at Tetteh Quarshie Memorial Hospital, Akuapem-Mampong, Ghana Online publication date: Wed, 24-Feb-2016
by Richard Amfo-Otu; Israel Ayiku Doo
International Journal of Environment and Waste Management (IJEWM), Vol. 16, No. 4, 2015
Abstract: Despite the potential risk associated with hospital waste, little attention has been paid to such waste by various stakeholders in Ghana. This paper examined hospital waste generation and management at a Municipal Hospital in Ghana. The study adopted experimental approach to generate data on quantity of waste generated at the hospital for a period of nine days. Also, sanitation labourers were purposively sampled and interviewed. Waste generation rate was found to be 0.58 kg/bed/day, with the total waste being 674.8kg out of which 14% was hazardous waste and 86% was non-hazardous. It was found that the hospital did not have an enclosed secondary storage point as well as a sanitary disposal site. Moreover, the incinerator was not functioning. Safety practices were poor among waste collection labourers who lacked adequate training. Critical attention to waste management in the hospital has been recommended to safeguard the health of workers and patients.
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