To investigate the management of sharps in health facilities in Dar es salaam region

Sharps are among the most hazardous wastes generated in health care facilities. Syringes for injection is among the common sharps generated during diagnosis, prevention and treatment. The risk is mainly due to the blood borne diseases that could be transmitted through t- sharp prick or puncture. In this study seven health facilities were visited in Dar es Salaam region & health workers from different departments were interviewed and some observations were made of the situation in those health facilities. The concern was mainly on the types of sharps, knowledge of workers on the possible risk due mishandling of sharps, the actual handling and disposal facilities & procedures in practice. Some photos and samples were collected. The findings were that the situation is good in hospitals and satisfactory in health centers. There was no big difference between public and private hospitals only that monitoring is high in private hospitals. Disposable devices were available, abundant safety boxes and boots for the waste handlers. The problem was on the type of gloves which were used, since they were thin and could cause sharps to easily penetrate and bring injury, availability of advanced syringe was more pronounced in public hospitals. Training was also conducted - though didn’t cater for all the health care workers. . Most of the health care givers were able to mention the possible hazards due to sharp Mishandling. Most knew how to handle and what to avoid but mistakes occurred due to negligence and poor monitoring. There is need for sustainability of all the necessary equipments as well as instituting the training and monitoring of Health workers on hazards of sharps