Madam Tina Mensah with both documents
The government has launched a new policy that would ensure medical waste materials are segregated, appropriately treated and disposed of safely.
The Healthcare Waste Management Policy and the National Guidelines for Healthcare Waste Management will provide direction for effective and efficient management of medical waste through the adoption of best available techniques and environmental practices.
The two documents, produced by the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, would also strengthen collaboration between institutions to protect and promote public health and the environment for sustainable development.
It will also ensure adherence to proper methods, infrastructural and technological development of healthcare waste management as well as create awareness on environmental and health hazards associated with medical waste among health workers, patients and communities.
Deputy Health Minister, Tina Mensah, speaking at the event, said the documents had been carved out of the 2006 Healthcare Waste Policy and Guidelines to effectively respond to the current context of health care waste management.
“It has even become more imperative to safely dispose of healthcare waste in this Covid-19 pandemic era which has witnessed the increase use of PPE and other safety materials to three times the number,” she said.
The Deputy Minister noted that 15 per cent healthcare waste were hazardous and might be infectious, toxic or radioactive; adding that the two over-arching health documents will thus provide a policy shift in improving the health status of the population.
She reiterated the government’s commitment to breaking the barriers and changing the narrative when it came to addressing the health needs of Ghanaians.
Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Professor Frimpong Manso, said the nature of medical wastes produced, although posed a huge health risk, could be efficiently managed with the right collaboration.
He therefore urged stakeholders to prioritize the implementation of the policy and guidelines by appropriately planning, budgeting and mobilizing resources for healthcare waste management at all levels.