Medical waste generated by healthcare facilities poses significant risks to human health and the environment if not handled and disposed of properly.
Unfortunately, many healthcare facilities in Ghana face challenges in managing their medical waste due to the lack of adequate treatment facilities.
However, a new state-of-the-art medical waste treatment facility in the Ashanti Region aims to address this issue and provide a lasting solution.
Recent research reveals that approximately 15% of the waste generated by healthcare facilities is classified as hazardous.
In the Ashanti Region alone, healthcare facilities produce a staggering seven thousand kilograms of infectious medical waste every day.
Regrettably, the proper disposal of such waste remains a significant challenge for these facilities.
To combat this issue, the Jospong Group of Companies, in collaboration with the Governments of Ghana and Belgium, has initiated the Kumasi Medical Waste Treatment Facility.
The facility aims to tackle the medical waste problem head-on.
Mahama Asei Seini, the Deputy Health Minister, stated that the Ministry will soon introduce a policy directive mandating all health facilities to utilize such treatment facilities for their waste management.
He stressed that medical waste comprises potentially infectious and hazardous materials which pose a great threat to human health and the ecosystem if not managed properly.
“We must adopt responsible and efficient measures to prevent the spread of diseases, protect our healthcare workers and minimize the impact on the environment, he emphasized.
He noted the facility will serve all healthcare facilities within the region and neighbouring towns.
The Kumasi Medical Waste Treatment Facility can handle 10,000 kilograms(Kg) of medical waste each day and is expected to create around 200 direct and indirect job opportunities.
Harriet Sena Siaw Boateng, Ghana’s Ambassador to Belgium, encourages healthcare facilities to make full use of these treatment facilities for the proper disposal of medical waste.
She again remarked that the facility is a significant milestone and demonstrates Ghana’s commitment to meeting goals 3 and 12 of the SDGs
“It also aligns with environmental sanitation and plastic policy that will significantly reduce plastic waste,” she noted.
The Kumasi Medical Waste Treatment facility is part of a larger initiative undertaken by the Jospong Group of companies in collaboration with the government of Ghana.
This collaboration aims to establish 14 centralized medical waste treatment facilities throughout the country.
The primary purpose of the Kumasi Medical waste treatment facility is to collect and treat hazardous healthcare waste components, including used syringes, blood-stained materials, pathological waste, COVID-19 waste, and waste from vaccination exercises.
It serves all healthcare facilities within the region and its surrounding areas.
The facility is equipped with two state-of-the-art Microwave Treatment Equipment which will not only effectively treat the waste but also recycle it, adding value and reducing the amount of waste destined for landfills.
The non-incineration technique employed by the equipment ensures there are no atmospheric pollutants released, promoting environmental health and safety.
In addition to the treatment equipment, the facility features a cold room for waste storage and specialized waste trucks for transporting medical waste from various healthcare facilities to the treatment site.
The Executive Director, of Processing Cluster E&S Group, Haida Said, noted that the pandemic brought into focus the need to be cautious in handling medical waste to prevent the spread of infectious diseases in the country.
He expressed gratitude to President Nana Addo for creating the enabling environment for the private sector to work.
The Director General of Ghana Health Service, along with the Deputy Health Minister and other dignitaries, participated in the inauguration ceremony of the first Centralized Medical Treatment Facility located in Adagya, Ashanti Region.