The COVID-19 disease which has been declared as a global pandemic is currently taking dominance in Ghana by extending its tentacles to the various regions of the country. Each day we record additional cases that are creating fear and panic among citizens.
Various precautionary measures such as frequent hand washing, use of sanitizers, practicing social or physical distancing, avoiding unnecessary touching of surfaces, use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), minimizing public gatherings among others are being implemented.
Healthcare facilities have also been designated and equipped to help manage people who are infected with the disease to recover. However, one important area that should be of great concern is the management of the waste that is generated as a result of protecting health workers and treating infected patients.
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Waste from COVID-19 disease patients just like waste from any other infectious diseases should be categorized as hazardous waste and managed as such. This is necessary because of the potential spread of the disease from the waste material surface to humans which can result in nosocomial infections (hospital-acquired infection) or even end up infecting the general public.
To properly manage this kind of hazardous waste, there is a need for adequate training to be provided for people especially healthcare workers since they will be generating the majority of it through the various medical procedures. Adequate waste segregation logistics such as storage bins (internal and external), color-coded bin liners and sharps containers should be provided at the health facilities. This will help in the proper separation of waste into various components such as general waste, infectious waste, sharps waste, pathological waste, etc. to aid in the reduction of the treatment cost.
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All waste from COVID-19 treatment should be segregated and tied in yellow or red liners indicating infectious or highly infectious waste in accordance with the Ministry of Health color-coding protocols. Once the waste is separated, it should be transported in a wheeled bin from the internal storage areas such as the treatment rooms, isolation wards, etc. to a secured central storage area (external storage site).
The waste should now undergo treatment in order to destroy the micro-organisms, in this case, the coronavirus before final disposal. If the health facility has an on-site treatment system, the waste should be immediately processed. Otherwise, the health facility can contract a waste company with adequate technology for treating hazardous waste to help transport the waste from the health facility to the treatment site with a specialized vehicle and observing all safety protocols.
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Zoompak Ghana Limited, a subsidiary of the Jospong Group of Companies is currently the only waste management company that operates a Centralized Medical Waste Treatment Facility in Ghana. It uses an Autoclave and Shredder Unit which sterilizes the waste with pressurized steam at temperatures between 121 to 145 Degree Celsius within a treatment time of 30 minutes to one (1) hour.
The waste is then shredded into particles to reduce the volume and destroy all sharp objects. After this process, the waste is safe for disposal at any secured area within an engineered landfill site. This treatment facility has the capacity to manage all medical waste in the Greater Accra region and other surrounding regions. Health facilities in regions that cannot access such centralized facilities can use treatment facilities of nearby health facilities or use the Best Available Technology to disinfect the waste.
It is recommended by the World Health Organization that, if the waste will be incinerated, it should be done using doubled chambered incinerators which will help reduce the release of persistent organic pollutants such as dioxins and furans. Most healthcare facilities in Ghana that have on-site treatment units usually use single-chambered incinerators which are not environmentally friendly according to recent research works. Hence measures should be taken to help address these issues.
One major component of the waste that will be generated in large quantities will be the PPEs such as coveralls, face masks, gloves, etc. which will be used by the healthcare workers during the provision of medical services. Appropriate measures should be taken to handle these materials as elaborated above.
Our country will be in the right direction of overcoming this pandemic if proper waste management practices are implemented in addition to the main precautionary measures being advocated.
By: Ing. Senam Tengey