Nigeria’s Ministries of Health and Environment have collaborated with Anambra State in holding a two day training of personnel on proper management of medical waste.
The training was in accordance with the National Policy guidelines on health care waste management.
The programme goes in line with the mandate of the State Governor, Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo, whose main priority was the Environment and Health sector.
The Commissioner of Environment, Felix Odimegwu in a series of meeting with the officials which took place in his office in Awka, the state capital,said:
“Medical waste is a source of generation of hazardous biomedical waste that it’s generation and disposal is a very important aspect, the policies made by the national policy guidelines on health care waste management is a wonderful one and we will be all out for it’s implementation, with proper specification for handling medical waste from generation, segregation, collection, storage, transportation and treatment as tutored in the training the spread of infectious diseases will be curtailed to the bearest minimum”.
Speaking further, the representative from the federal ministry of Health, Mrs Uhara Onyinye, stated that the aim of the field work on assessment of medical waste conducted in different local Government Area of the state together with the two (2) days training was to curtail/minimize the spread of diseases and infection caused by handling of medical waste.
In her contribution, the representative from the ministry of Environment Mrs Okpala Chika said that the newer/upgraded version of incineration, chemical treatment, auto claving, microwaving, shredding/compacting taught in the training when implemented will reduce the negative impact of medical waste in the environment.
Others present at the event were the Permanent secretary, Ministry of Environment Mrs Ngozi Iwuno, the H.O.D of Public health Ministry of Environment Mr Nwankwu.
Confidence Okwuchi
