Unpacking healthcare waste management at rural village health clinics in the Ntcheu District (Malawi)

Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
Madalitso MmangaRochelle H Holm

Abstract

Management of healthcare waste in low- and middle-income countries lacks a straightforward solution, especially where rural health services are provided. The purpose of our case study was to explore the knowledge and practices of health surveillance assistants operating at rural village health clinics in Ntcheu District, Malawi, with regard to the collection, segregation, transportion, treatment, and disposal of healthcare waste. Data were collected from 81 clinics. The results indicated that while general gaps in both knowledge and practice were observed, sharps (e.g., needles) management was generally being done well. An opportunity for scale-up was found in one clinic, in which local materials had been used to construct a low-cost innovative sharps disposal receptacle that had been modified from a pit latrine design. This study recommends waste management training suitable for rural settings, the promotion of low-cost sharps disposal receptacles using local materials, further opportunities for low-cost incinerators, central waste collection, and encouraging grassroots innovation in healthcare waste management.

References

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Oct 16, 2012·Health Policy and Planning·Kate E GilroyUNKNOWN CCM-Malawi Quality of Care Working Group
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Jan 21, 2018·International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health·Ryan Cronk, Jamie Bartram

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Citations

Nov 2, 2019·Waste Management & Research : the Journal of the International Solid Wastes and Public Cleansing Association, ISWA·Navarro FerronatoVincenzo Torretta

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