The use of face masks, medical gowns, gloves and scrubs as part of precautionary measures to stem the spread of coronavirus has inevitably increased not only the quantity but the level of medical waste generated in the country.

 It is therefore imperative for authorities to devise ways to dispose of such waste safely.

But very little attention has been given to the somewhat novel and highly hazardous waste been churned out on daily basis in the country.

Testing, contact tracing, isolation, and treatment of patients or persons suspected to be infected with the virus, have largely dominated discussions at all levels relegating the subject of managing the waste to the backburner.

The Ghana Standard Authority says it is closely monitoring the locally produced PPE’s including scrubs, facemasks and medical gowns to ensure that at least the consumables are biodegradable.

This according to the Authority’s Director General, Professor Alexander Doodo will minimize the burden the waste would have on the already fragile waste management system. says,

“The management of Covid-19 waster honestly has not been at the forefront of our thinking...clearly some of the materials will not be biodegradable fortunately the facemasks are made from textiles and will degrade into the soil. But we do expect a lot of litter.”

“But as a country in terms of managing the waste, we are nowhere near what will be considered the best way of managing it purely because our focus has been shifted elsewhere but now that there’s been calls from the media, we would have to up our game,” he said.

The Trade Minister, Alan Kyerematen whose ministry is spearheading the local production of PPE’s in partnership with some privately owned companies said the procedures follows the highest level of quality inspection to prevent the situation where the waste left behind post Covid-19 get out of control

“The medical gowns and masks that are locally produced are certified by the Food and Drugs Authority and Ghana Standards Authority so you are talking about the highest level of quality inspection before the consumables come out,” he said.

For cleaners working in the corporate world and other public institutions, the outbreak and its accompanying protocols like wearing of disposable facemasks and constant washing of hands has made their work even more difficult.

A cleaner at the headquarters of The Multimedia Group at Kokomlemle in Accra says he and his colleagues have to clear a lot more trash than usual.

Due to the nature of spread of the virus and the potential hazardous onslaught it could have on frontline health workers and the general population, health facilities and centers designated as Covid-19 test centers have been compelled to design smart ways of disposing of the waste they generate on daily basis as they treat, and test for the virus

Some of the protective equipment like medical gowns and scrubs are single-use, a phenomenon behind the fast pile up of covid-19 waste at the designated health facilities.

Authorities at the Ridge hospital are using an ultramodern autoclave to disinfect the covid-19 waste before it is discarded.

The Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research which has so far led Ghana’s Covid-19 fight by way of testing for the virus, has as part of its risk reduction strategy, implemented sterilization process to decontaminate waste they receive from other health facilities involved in the coronavirus fight.

More resources and community engagement are urgently needed in Ghana and the African continent to ensure discarded medical waste generated in the fight against the invincible enemy does not worsen the already precarious situation on the continent particularly in downtrodden economies.