BY OLASUNKANMI AKONI

Determined to ensure sustainable safe management of healthcare wastes, the Lagos State Government is set to release official guidelines on proper healthcare waste management in 2014, in accordance with the National policy on healthcare.

Lagos has also canvassed the need for annual Health Care Waste Certification, HCWC, to remain a major condition for renewal of annual licenses by the Ministry of Health for all healthcare facilities in the state.

Commissioner for the Environment, Mr. Tunji Bello, disclosed this at the 2nd National healthcare waste Summit in Lagos, hosted by the Lagos Waste Management Authority, LAWMA, with the theme: Healthcare Waste Management and the Environment.”

The 2-day Summit, was organised in collaboration with government agencies of Federal/state ministries of health and environment, Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency, HEFAMAA, Lagos Environmental Protection Agency, LASEPA and Waste Management Society of Nigeria, WAMASON, among others.

Bello, who was represented by Special Adviser to Governor Babatunde Fashola on Environment, Dr. Taoofek Folami, explained that the guideline became necessary for all stakeholders in ensuring that healthcare givers, facilities, operatives, academia, students and service providers, key into the campaign for safe healthcare waste management.

“The major landmark in the history of HCWM was made this year when the Federal Ministry of Environment launched the National Policy on Healthcare Waste Management. The giant stride is a plus to our Nation in general and right on track.

“The LAWMA guideline on proper healthcare waste management drawn from the National Policy is to be released in the 1st quarter of 2014 thus making Lagos State the pioneer state to draw up a guideline for healthcare waste management,” Bello remarked.

He advocated annual Health care Waste Certification as a major condition for renewal of annual licenses by the ministry of health for all healthcare facilities in Lagos.

Managing Director, LAWMA, Mr. Ola Oresanya, said before 2006, 99 percent of healthcare wastes generated in the State could not be accounted for suggesting that these wastes were comingled with domestic waste.

Oresanya, who disclosed that LAWMA had hosted five series since inception of the National summit, from 2006-2010, assured that the authority would continue to champion the course for best practices in proper HCWM as well as mobolise stakeholders to adopt and implement best practice aim at reducing risks associated with special class of waste which remained a major concern on infection prevention control.

He said the preferred treatment option adopted by the state is the hydroclave medical treatment which treats 1,000kg of waste water per cycle and a minimum of eight cycles per day.