Some varsity lecturers have decried the poor knowledge of waste management among health workers, the absence of comprehensive data, and the low public awareness of the potential dangers posed by healthcare waste.
The experts who converged on the University of Medical Sciences Ondo town, Ondo State, on Friday stated this at a meeting on healthcare waste management issues in Nigeria.
The theme of the meeting was ‘Legal, policy and implementation issues in healthcare waste management’. It was organised by the Faculty of Health Law and Humanities in collaboration with the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health of the institution.
In his welcome address, the Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Adesegun Fatusi said the motive of the meeting was for the health experts and professionals to brainstorm on healthcare waste management.
He said, “UNIMED has led the way by devising healthcare waste management guidelines for its campuses. This should be taken to the national level.
“This accounted for convening this meeting to brainstorm on how our society can be helped in healthcare waste management.”
The experts at the event recommended that state governments should enact policies, regulations, and statutes to promote good practice in the management of healthcare waste.
They also urged the Federal and State governments to make specific budgetary provisions for healthcare waste management, adding that the environmental health workforce should be expanded to facilitate the implementation of extant policies.
Speaking at the meeting, the Dean of the Faculty of Health Law and Humanities of the institution, Professor Leroy Edozien, said there was a need for the governments to be proactive in healthcare waste management. He called for the education and training of health workers in the management of waste.
He said, “Healthcare waste is any waste produced in hospitals, laboratories, research facilities, and homes as a result of medical procedures. Healthcare waste poses harm to health workers, the public, and the environment. So there is a need for urgent action from the stakeholders .”
