MANAGEMENT OF BIOMEDICAL WASTE: A CRITIQUE OF NIGERIA'S WASTE MANAGEMENT POLICY

This study hinges on the management of biomedical waste with a critique of the waste management practices in Nigeria. The study classified biomedical waste into ten categories based on the World Health Organisation categorization. They include human anatomical waste, animal waste, microbiological waste and biotechnology waste, discarded medicine and cytotoxic waste, soiled wasted, solid waste, liquid waste, incineration ash, and chemical waste. The study identified the dangers of mismanagement of biomedical waste to include: disease-causing microbes, medical sharps, and hazardous substances from biomedical waste can infect healthcare workers, patients, the general public, and the environment, to be more specific. Human and environmental consequences of improperly handled biomedical waste include radiation burns from radioactive waste, sharp-inflicted injuries, poisoning and pollution from pharmaceutical goods, waste water, and toxic elements like as mercury. As such, inadequate management of waste poses major public health risks, ranging from the transmission of endemic parasitic infections to the development and re-emergence of new zoonoses as a result of direct or indirect impacts of poor waste management. The study recommended that the development of integrated policies on waste sorting, reuse, recycling, and disposal should be one essential aspect of the policy and the framework for adequate provision of waste collection, transportation, and disposal facilities. Also, a unified policy on biomedical waste management should be implemented across all states of the federation to ensure the smooth disposal of medical waste across the country