Six hospitals get waste incinerators

HEALTH|HOSPITALS|INCINERATORS

KAMPALA - The World Health Organisation (WHO), in partnership with the Ministry of Health, has constructed six incinerators in hospitals.

This is aimed at improving waste management in response to the high cases of COVID-19.

The facilities that have benefited are regional referral hospitals of Gulu, Soroti, Moroto and Tororo.

Others are Masafu Hospital and Kakuto Health Centre IV in Busia and Kyotera districts respectively.

Alex Chimbaru, the incident manager at WHO Uganda, said in most cases, the focus in hospitals is put on the patients and drugs, noting that the waste generated is not given attention.

Chimbaru said without proper waste management, the hospital is not complete and this means that staff working in wards, pharmacies and other sections must ensure proper waste segregation.

The locally-made non-fuel powered incinerators were constructed by Technology for Tomorrow, headed by Nicholas Kasekende from Makerere University.

A complete unit has MAK VI incinerators, ash pit, placenta pit, waste shed, tools store and a fence with a gate.

"From the research carried out in Africa, almost 90% of the fuel-powered incinerators do not work for more than a year. That is why we decided to develop this technology that uses pressure changes in relationship to temperature," Kasende said.

Dr Florence Oyella, the acting director of Gulu Regional Referral Hospital, said waste management had become a problem for a long time.

The hospital generates about 100kg of waste daily and Oyella was glad to note that it will be easy to manage.

Dr Jackson Amone, the commissioner clinical services at the health ministry, said several incinerators have been constructed by Makerere University.

He said in case there is any problem with them, hospital administrators should raise the concerns.

Albert Maganda Koma from Baylor Uganda said so far, 14 incinerators have been constructed, with the first eight being in response to the recent Ebola threat.

Dr Joyce Moriku Kaducu, the primary healthcare state minister, cautioned hospital administrators against allowing bodabodas to park inside hospitals, saying that might be a source of infections.