CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Due to its contagious nature, healthcare waste poses a concern to public health. Healthcare waste that is not properly managed can create hazardous illness and constitute a possible threat to the adjacent environment, health professionals, patients, and the general public because most healthcare facilities are located in the center of cities (WHO, 2014). Healthcare Waste (HCW) can be a serious threat to human health if not properly managed, according to Dehghani, Azam, Changani, and Fard (2008). Given that Nigeria is a poor country with limited resources, it is unsurprising that healthcare waste management receives less attention and priority than it deserves (Stephen, & Elijah, 2011). As a result, in underdeveloped nations where there are no institutional systems for healthcare waste management, there is a severe problem. Clinical wastes are dumped alongside municipal waste in an open dumpsite, and this practice allows members of the community access to them, potentially resulting in an outbreak of infectious diseases (Alagoz, Kocasay, Abah, & Ohimain, 2010). Healthcare waste management is considered an important issue worldwide, according to Cheng, Sung, Yang, Lo, Chung, and Li (2009), despite its small proportion of total community waste. According to the World Health Organization (2014), 15% of total waste created in healthcare facilities is hazardous, and this trash must be adequately segregated at the time of generation to prevent the entire healthcare waste from becoming 100% hazardous. The
The danger connected with Healthcare Waste (HCW) and its management has piqued the interest of both health practitioners and non-healthcare professionals all over the world. Knowing the types and quantities of clinical waste created will assist healthcare facilities in planning and budgeting appropriate revenue for hazardous waste management (Bongayi, 2013). According to a study conducted by Olubukola (2009) in two general hospitals in Lagos, there was no waste reduction plan in the hospitals due to a lack of quantification of healthcare waste.
Inadequate waste segregation at point of use, collection, storage, and final disposal are all consequences of this lack of planning for healthcare waste management. Health workers, patients, and the environment are all at risk as a result of this bad healthcare waste management approach. Gaps were discovered, such as
Mismanagement of healthcare waste by healthcare facilities is a health danger not just for healthcare personnel and patients, but also for patients’ visitors and the general public, since trash is incorrectly disposed of, contaminating the soil, air, and water. Healthcare facilities are designed to protect the health of the people in their immediate surroundings, not to be a source of potential health risks.
Furthermore, as the number of patients seen has increased, so has the amount of waste generated in the healthcare industry. According to Mboguwe, Mimereki, and Magashula (2008), a growth in population leads to an increase in healthcare facilities, which results in an increase in healthcare waste generation. Because of this rise, it is projected that efficient healthcare waste management will receive more attention and priority in Abeokuta South Local Government. There have been numerous research on healthcare waste management, but little or no work has been done on clinical waste segregation, which is an important part of healthcare waste management (Coker, Sangodoyin, Sridhar, Booth, Olomolaiye, 2009). Because waste segregation is the initial stage in clinical waste management, it is critical in healthcare waste management. The separation of healthcare waste helps to reduce the amount of hazardous waste. Once healthcare waste is separated, collection will be simple, correct storage will be achieved, and infectious waste will be disposed of in a manner that is safe for health workers, patients, and the environment (WHO, 2014). The proper management of healthcare waste necessitates effective planning, adequate funding, and active participation.
STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
Untreated hospital waste dumped indiscriminately in municipal bins increases the possibilities of pathogenic microorganism population survival and mutation in municipal garbage, which can lead to disease epidemics and increased communicable disease incidence in the community. Infectious diseases such as Hepatitis B, C, Measles, Acute Immunodeficiency Syndrome, Tuberculosis, Chickenpox, Cholera, and others have been linked to improper hospital waste segregation and disposal (Sreejith, 2008). The researcher found that healthcare facilities in Ogun State neglected healthcare waste management in terms of segregation and disposal. The established authority does not provide the materials essential for segregation and disposal of these hospital wastes, posing a major concern to health professionals, patients, the environment, and the community at large. The haphazard dumping of hospital waste with domestic rubbish makes it easily accessible to neighborhood members. The lack of waste management facilities such as incinerators, autoclaves, and microwaves can be seen on a tour of these health institutions. As a result, it is quite possible that medical waste will be disposed at a municipal site, perhaps resulting in the spread of communicable diseases. In light of the aforementioned issues, the researcher became interested in examining healthcare waste management procedures among health professionals in Ogun State’s Abeokuta South Local Government. The findings of this study will be used to improve healthcare waste management in Abeokuta South Local Government’s health facilities. It will also make empirical data available to policymakers, scholars, and other interested parties.
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The study’s major goal is to evaluate health workers’ waste management procedures in four healthcare facilities in Ogun State’s Abeokuta South Local Government Area. The following are the precise goals:
identify the many sorts of trash created in Abeokuta South Local Government (ASLG) healthcare institutions;
determine the amount of knowledge of healthcare personnel about waste management and separation;
examine how healthcare waste is managed by healthcare professionals and
Identify how healthcare waste is eventually disposed of by healthcare facilities.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
What are the different forms of healthcare wastes generated in ASLG hospitals?
What is the level of understanding about healthcare waste management among health workers?
What is the current state of healthcare waste management among health professionals?
What is the method of final disposal of healthcare waste used by ASLG healthcare workers?
RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS
Ho1: There is no significant link between respondents’ knowledge and practice on ASLG’s healthcare waste management.
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