Editorial
Disposal of medical waste in Ghana …a harmful practice to the public
Dear Editor,
Medical waste is a dangerous waste generated by hospitals, clinics, health-care centres, laboratories and many others. This waste is usually generated during medical research, testing, diagnosis, immunisation or treatment of either human beings or animals. Some examples are culture dishes, glassware, bandages, gloves, discarded sharps like needles or scalpels, tissues and many more. Before the 1980, the regulations around medical waste were pretty loose.
Due to the hazardous nature of medical waste, it must be properly treated and disposed of to avoid possible contamination. Even though waste in general needs to be treated properly, medical waste needs extra attention and treatment. After all, medical waste placed in a domestic or council waste bins, must be disposed of properly.
Also, items that have been saturated and have more than trace amounts of body fluids need to be properly contained, treated, and disposed of as they carry the potential risk of spreading diseases and viruses.
Incineration is done with a machine called incinerator. This is a commonly used method, however, it generates harmful substances such as dioxin, and others.
While incineration of medical waste generates harmful substances such as dioxin and furan, steam sterilisation (autoclave) is environmental -friendly, mature and most economical non- incineration technology to process medical waste. The preferred method with the least impact on the environment is having it treated by autoclave. These devices use pressurised air and steam to sterilise the waste and can be used to treat 90 per cent of medical waste. It was founded in 1995 and it is the leading supplier of medical waste treatment in China. It is to provide clients a comprehensive medical waste treatment solution, one-stop supplying and high quality products with latest technology. The disposal capacity of a single autoclaves is from 1 -20 tonnes per day and free combination of autoclaves and full automatisation of the plant is available.
With the placenta and other human “tissues”, the law says it must be incinerated at a high temperature or buried at a significant depth and not to be placed in domestic or council waste bin.
Improving waste collection coverage of municipal areas, introducing mass community awareness raising and information campaigns will help to address negative community attitudes towards waste management.
Serwaa Marfo
Student, Ghana Institute of Journalism
Dear Editor,
It is often said that a healthy nation is a wealthy nation. However, this saying becomes worrying when the health of citizens is threatened by the conditions under which the food they consume daily is sold.
In Ghana, the conditions under which food is sold is quite disturbing. Over the years, I have observed that the environments where food is prepared and sold are often unhygienic.
In many cases, containers holding food such as rice and waakye are left uncovered or not properly covered, exposing them to contamination.
While many Ghanaians paid little attention in the past to the conditions under which food was sold, the narrative seems to be changing in recent years.
I recall an incident during my days in Senior High School (S.H.S.) when my friends and I went out to buy food. At one location, some of us chose not to buy because we assumed the food would be expensive due to how neat the place looked.
Unfortunately, we ended up purchasing food from a different place that was somewhat unhygienic. We overlooked the poor conditions because we believed the quantity offered was better than at the cleaner location.
However, I am certain that my friends and I would not repeat such a mistake today, as we now understand the health implications of that decision.
While public education is important in addressing this issue, I believe it is time for regulatory and law enforcement agencies, such as the Food and Drug Authority (FDA), to crack the whip on food sellers and vendors who operate in unhygienic environments and conditions.
As citizens, we must also be mindful of where we buy our food to protect ourselves and our families from diseases and illnesses. We should choose ‘quality’ over ‘quantity’ and prioritize our health.
From Syram
Oyarifa
Dear Editor,
I write to express concern and call for improved security measures before and after every football match.
The recent robbery attack that led to the tragic death of a player, on their return from a Match day 29 game against Samartex, is both shocking and heartbreaking.
The incident, which reportedly occurred around 10:30 p.m., highlights the growing risks faced by players and team officials while traveling.
Football is meant to unite and entertain, not to expose lives to danger. It is therefore imperative that authorities, the Ghana Football Association, and security agencies put in place adequate protection for teams, especially during late-night travels.
I strongly urge all stakeholders to treat this matter with urgency to prevent such unfortunate incidents from recurring.
From Eugene Ampiaw
Accra
