Health Care Waste Management Practices in Liberia: An Investigative Case Study

Healthcare waste management continues to present an
array of challenges for developing countries, and Liberia is of no
exception. There is insufficient information available regarding the
generation, handling, and disposal of health care waste. This face
serves as an impediment to healthcare management schemes. The
specific objective of this study is to present an evaluation of the
current health care management practices in Liberia. It also presented
procedures, techniques used, methods of handling, transportation, and
disposal methods of wastes as well as the quantity and composition
of health care waste. This study was conducted as an investigative
case study, covering three different health care facilities; a hospital, a
health center, and a clinic in Monrovia, Montserrado County. The
average waste generation was found to be 0-7kg per day at the clinic
and health center and 8-15kg per/day at the hospital. The composition
of the waste includes hazardous and non-hazardous waste i.e. plastic,
papers, sharps, and pathological elements etc. Nevertheless, the
investigation showed that the healthcare waste generated by the
surveyed healthcare facilities were not properly handled because of
insufficient guidelines for separate collection, and classification, and
adequate methods for storage and proper disposal of generated
wastes. This therefore indicates that there is a need for improvement
within the healthcare waste management system to improve the
existing situation.

Authors:

• V. Emery David Jr.
• J. Wenchao
• D. Mmereki
• Y. John
• F. Heriniaina

Keywords:

• Disposal
• Healthcare waste
• management
• Montserrado County
• Monrovia.

References:

[1] Ruoyan, G., Lingzhong, X., Huijuan, L., Chengchao, Z., Jiangjiang, H.,
Yoshihisa, S., Wei, T., Chushi, K., 2010. Investigation of healthcare
waste management in Binzhou District, China. Waste Management 30,
246–250.
[2] Alagoz, A. Z., and Kocasoy, G. (2008). Improvement and modification
of the routing system for the health-care waste collection and
transportation in Istanbul. Waste Management. 28. p 1461–1471.
[3] Blenkharn J. I. (2007), Standards of clinical waste management in
hospitals – Second look, Journal of Hospital Infection121, pp. 540-545.
[4] Mbongwe, B., Mmereki, B.T & Magashula, A Healthcare waste
management: Current practices in selected healthcare facilities in
Botswana. Waste Management and Resources. 28, pp.226–233, 2008. [5] The Public Health Law of Liberia, 1975.
[6] Environmental protection Policy and Law, Liberia, 2003,
(http://postconflict.unep.ch/liberia/index_4a.php?m=4&sm=4a).
[7] Country Situational Analysis Report, Ministry of health and social
welfare, Liberia, July 2011.
[8] Demographic and Health Survey, LIGIS, 2007.
[9] United Nations Environment Programme Post-Conflict and Disaster
Management Branch in collaboration with the Environmental Protection
Agency of Liberia July 2007.
[10] Republic of Liberia- Investment plan for building a Resilient Health
system in Liberia, 2014-2021
[11] Askarian, M., Vakili, M & Kabir, G., Results of a hospital waste survey
in private hospitals in Fars province, Iran. Waste Management, 24, pp.
347–352, 2004b.
[12] Pruss A, Giroult E & Rushbrook P., Safe management of wastes from
health care activities, Geneva, WHO, 1999. Available from:
http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/Environmental_saniE/
MHCWHanbook.htm, 1999. Date accessed: 19 September 2011.
[13] F. Abdulla, H. A. Qdais and A. Rabi, “Site Investigation on Medical
Waste Management Practices in Northern Jordan,” Waste Management,
Vol. 28, No. 2, 2008, pp. 450- 458. doi:10.1016/j.wasman.2007.02.035
[14] Lupez Purez Traditional Medical Waste Treatments. Environmental.
Chemistry.com. March 2000.
[15] WHO (1999), Safe Management of Wastes from Health Care Activities,
World Health Organization.
[16] Manyele, S.V., Medical waste management in Tanzania: Current
situation and the way forward. African Journal of Environmental
Assessment and Management, 8(1), 74-99, 2004.
[17] National health Policy and Plan, Ministry of Health and Social Welfare,
2007.