Medical Waste Management in Nigerian Hospitals

Nigeria, as a developing nation, is a country blessed with numerous potentials that are yet to be harnessed. This implies that there are many sectors of the Nigerian economy that are yet to be fully exploited in the interest of the citizens of the country and its leadership, too.

Lately, after a close appraisal of many medical institutions in the country, it would be safe to say that the disposal of the medical wastes generated in majority of the hospitals in the country are poorly disposed and this poses an unimaginable volume of threat to human existence in a world where it seems to be a norm to have random people break down as a result of all form of cancerous diseases.

The wards, theatres, Laboratory unit and the Human Anatomy departments which comprises the histopathology units and morbid anatomy units seem to produce majority of the wastes that are generated in the hospitals and in most cases these wastes are outrightly infectious.

State owned Waste Management agencies should promulgate laws on the handling of medical wastes while also ensuring that such agencies of governments recruit qualified professionals to drive the process so that these Medical institutions would have designated officers whose duty would handling and segregation of wastes down to the point where they would be incinerated.

Our reader here may be shocked to know that some materials used in highly infectious units of the hospital are being taken away by the staff handling this refuse and selling the same to unsuspecting public. 

Finally, the State governments in collaboration with medical institutions in States should draft a waste management master plan to be able to train and equip medical staff on how their wastes should be decontaminated, segregated and disposed in the interest of humanity.