Some varsity lecturers have criticised the lack of thorough data, the low public awareness of the possible risks posed by healthcare waste, and the inadequate waste management expertise of healthcare professionals.
At a meeting on healthcare waste management concerns in Nigeria on Friday, the experts who gathered at the University of Medical Sciences Ondo town, Ondo State, made this statement.
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.
Professor Adesegun Fatusi, vice chancellor of the university, stated in his welcome speech that the purpose of the gathering was for the professionals and health experts to discuss ideas for managing healthcare waste.
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.”
