:: Volume 5, Issue 1 (Winter, 2018) ::
Environ. Health Eng. Manag. 2018, 5(1): 29-37 Back to browse issues page
Biomedical waste disposal systems of health facilities in Ethiopia
Sisay Derso , Girum Taye , Theodros Getachew , Atkure Defar , Habtamu Teklie , Kassahun Amenu , Terefe Gelibo , Abebe Bekele
Environmental Health Research Team, Ethiopian Public Health Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia , sisdres23@yahoo.com
Abstract:   (8939 Views)
Background: Biomedical waste generated from health and health-related activities can be grouped as general waste and hazardous waste. This remains true if and only if there is proper on-site handling, such as the segregation and separation of waste based on the type and nature of the source.
Methods: A stratified random sampling design was used to provide representative results for Ethiopia, for various types of facility and management authorities, and for each of the 11 regions. Totally, 1327 health facilities were assessed using the World Health Organization (WHO) inventory tools.
Results: Nationally, medical waste in 32.6% of the studied health facilities was stored in covered containers, and in about 27% of them it was stored in another protected environment. About 40% of health facilities stored their medical waste in unprotected areas. Twenty-eight (2.6%) and 420 (39.3%) health facilities used 2-chamber industrial incinerators and 1-chamber drum incinerators, respectively. About 58% of health
facilities used unsafe waste treatment methods. The proportion of using safe medical waste disposal method was high in referral hospitals (87.9%). This shows the utilization of safe medical waste disposal methods is in decreasing order from higher to lower levels of organization in health facilities.
Conclusion: The present study showed a preliminary finding on the waste disposal systems of health facilities at the national level. Dumping biomedical waste outside the health facility is common, and access to common waste facilities is limited. Therefore, a holistic approach to safe medical waste management practices, including the collection process (handling, sorting, and segregation), storage, treatment and final disposal is crucial in all types of health facilities, regardless of the level of organization, ownership, or geographic distribution.
Keywords: Health Facility, Biomedical Waste, Disposal, Incinerator, Ethiopia
eprint link: http://eprints.kmu.ac.ir/id/eprint/27034
Full-Text [PDF 447 kb]   (6115 Downloads)    
Type of Study: Original Article | Subject: Special
Received: 2018/03/3 | Accepted: 2018/03/3 | Published: 2018/03/3



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