THE DISPOSAL OF MEDICAL WASTES IN HEALTH INSTITUTIONS IN EKITI STATE, NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

The study investigated the disposal of medical wastes in health institutions in Ekiti State, Nigeria. It involves visitation, survey work which entails administration of questionnaire and library study to gather information which includes type of waste, volume of waste generated and the disposal system adopted by the health institution. The project involved the visitation of clinics, private and public hospitals in various local government in Ekiti State. The types of medical wastes examined in the course of this study includes regulated wastes, infectious wastes, sharps, chemicals and some other medical wastes. The disposal system adopted by most clinics were road side refuse dumps while most private hospital adopt burning method of disposal and most public hospital adopt the use of waste management bins. It was concluded that medical waste disposal in Ekiti State is inadequate and can be improved by enforcement of use of waste management bins in all health institutions in all local government of the state.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTTON, .
1.1    BACKGROUND
1.2    AIM  OF  THE  PROJECT.
1.3    OBJECTIVES.. ,
.4    SCOPE OF THE STUDY. .
i.5 RESEARCH QUESTIONS. ...
1.6 RESEARCH STUDY OUTCOME. .
CHAPTER   TWO.
4    LITERATURE REVIEW. .
2.I    MEDICAL WASTES.
2,2 TYPES OF ME DI CAI WASTES.
2,3 METHOD Ob MANAGING MEDICAL WASTE.
2.4    PROCESS OF MANAGING MEDICAL WASTE. .
2.4.1    PLANNING..
2.4.2    MIIIMIZATI ON. ..
2.4.3    SEGREATION..
2,4.4 PACKAGING AND LABELING. ..
2.4.5    TRANSPORTATION..
 2.4.6    TFTEATMENT.
2.5    SU RVEY OF RELATED WORII S..
CHAPTER 3.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY,
3, I DKSCR1 PTION OF STUDY AREA .
3.2    METHO DO LOGI CAL TECHN IQU K.
3.3    FIELD WORK.
3,4 MEDICAL WASTE DIS POSAL SITE OBSERVATION.
3.5    MW TER I ALS .. .
3.6    SU R V EY QI4 ESTI ONN A I RR FOR MED ICA L WA STE DIPOSAL SYSTEM IN EI4ITI STA TE SP EC1 A LIST I—HOSPITALS...
3.7    EN VIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF POOR MEDICAL WASTE DISPOSAI. 
3,8 MEDICAL W/\ STE CLA SI MICA TION .
CI-I APTER 4.. .
RESU I.T AND DISC USSION. , .
4.1    RES ULT..
4.2    DISCUS SION , .
4.2.1    WAST L TRE ATM ENT AND DISPOSAL.......... , .......... , .............
4.3    BA SIC PROBLEM OF MEDICA I WA STD MANY GEMENT IN A DO DII I FI.   
4.4    GNAAT CHAT........
CHAPTER 5, .
CONCLUS l ON AND RECOM MENDA TION. , .
CONC1-USTOE.   
 
5    .2 RECOMMENDATIONS.  
5.3    CONTRIBUTIONS TO knowledge.
5.4    LIMITATION   
REFERENCE 
 CHAPTER ONE
 INTRODUCTION
 Medical waste management and disposal is a major problem in most developing countries of the world due to poor management. In the case in Ekiti State and other states in Nigeria, there exist an imbalance between the production of medical waste and efficient waste disposal.
This is because clear priority has often been given to issues of induseial and commercial development without paying attention to waste disposal facilities. This has resulted to waste been piled up along street sides and at times totally bloclcing the driveway. This in turn puts the health of the populace at a great risk (Olufisayo, Solid Waste Management in Ado municipality, South-Western Nigeria, 2014). The treatment and disposal of medical waste from hospitals, clinics and health institutes has been a great concern in recent times. This is as a result of hazardous nature of these wastes and the potential threat to spread deadly diseases to humans and other living organisms. Medical care is very important for our life, health and well-being but the 'aste extracted from medical practice can be harmful, poisonous and even deadly because of their high potential for diseases transmission. The concern for hospital waste management yas increase in infectious diseases and indiscriminate disposal of waste in worldwide. Medical waste has been identified by the US Environmental Agency as the 3" largest known source of dioxin air emission and contributor of about 10% of mercury emissions to the environment from human activities. In this last few decades, the generation of biomedical waste has increased; management of medical waste continues to be a major challenge. Biomedical waste is generally extracted from hospitals, health care teaching institutes, research institutions, blood banks, clinics, laboratories, veterinary institutes and animal houses etc. (Irin, An analytical study on medical waste management in selected
 hospitals located in Chennai city., 2018). In developing countries such as Nigeria, the international policy that the generator of waste is responsible for the proper management, treatment and disposal of waste has remained on paper and is yet to be implemented. The notion that waste is the responsibility of the government authorities has not enabled waste generators to appreciate the negative impact of improper waste disposal. (Adegoke A.A, 1989) Although waste is generated from anywhere such as homes, offices, industries, agriculture, schools, living things and healthcare establishments, more concern is given to healthcare wastes due to its hazardous nature and disease transmission characteristics of some of tlae wastes (Ngwuluka Ndidi1* 0. N., 2009). Healthcare establishments generate wastes, by products of health care wlaich can be classified into lnfectious and non-infectious wastes. (Patil and Shekdar, 2001). Hazardous wastes are classified into infectious, pharmaceutical, pathological, genotoxic, sharps, chemical, radioactive and those with high heavy metal contents. A hazardous waste is one which may be toxic, genotoxic, corrosive, flammable, reactive, explosive, radioactive, containing infectious agents. (Pruss et a1, 1999).
1.2    AIM OF THE PROJECT
The aim of this research work is to investigate the methods of medical waste disposal systems in hospitals, clinics and health centres in Elciti State.
1.3    OBJECTIVES
The specific objectives of the research works are to:
i.    Charactei‘ize types of medical wastes generated in the hospitals, clinics and health centres.
ii.    Evaluate the methods of waste disposal adopted by the institutions.
 iii.    Propose or suggest an improvements in the medical waste disposal methods used in health institutions in Ekiti State.
1.4    SCOPE OF THE STUDY
This research work focuses on health institutions (hospital, clinics and health centres) in all local govemineiits in E1 iti State. It involves visitation, survey work, administration of structured questionnaire and library study to elicit and gather vital information such as type of waste, volume of waste generated and the disposal system adopted by the health institution.
1.5    RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The research qtiestions are:
i.    What are the characteristics of the medical waste generated†
ii.    How can medical waste be managed naore efficiently?
iii.    In what way can the disposal of medical wastes be improved in Ekiti state?
1.6    RESEARCH STUDY OUTLINE
This project is divided into five chapters as follows: chapter one entails the introduction, scope, bacliground, aims and objectives while chapter two explains the literature review and theoretical background of implementing the research topic ated chapter three shows the research methodology. The chapter four explains the result and discussion with gnat chart while the chapter five concludes the research with its limitations and recommendations