The fourth phase of waste management for used COVID-19 vaccine vials is underway in the Ashanti Region.
The six-day operation began on Tuesday at the Adum Pampamso Maternity and Child Health Hospital, and is a collaboration between waste management company Zoomlion Ghana Limited, the Public Health Department of the Ministry of Health, and School of Hygiene and School of Public Health at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
It is aimed at providing medical waste services for vaccination centres in the Ashanti Region and across the country during the second jab of the Astrazeneca vaccine, targetted at ensuring used COVID-19 vaccine vials and their ancillary supplies are safely and correctly stored, collected, treated and disposed of.
The exercise involves the provision of waste-bins, colour-coded bin liners, routine collection of waste, transportation with specialised trucks, and treatment and disposal of the potentially infectious vaccination waste.
Speaking to journalists, Principal Community Nurse at Adum Pampamso Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Ms Portia Bammoare Bukari, indicated that patronage of the vaccine has been encouraging.
“Patronage has been good, albeit there was not much announcement prior to start of the exercise,” she said.
She disclosed that as at 8:00 a.m. about 15 people had already taken their second jabs of the Astrazeneca vaccine, adding: “We expecting about 200 people a day”.
She, therefore used the opportunity to advise the public that the exercise is catering for persons who have taken a first vaccination of the Astrazeneca vaccine.
Ms. Bammoare commended government and Zoomlion for ensuring that the used COVID vaccine vials are properly disposed of.
On the vaccination proper, she said some of the people after vaccination complain that they eat a lot while others say they tend to have headaches.
From the Adum Pampamso Maternity and Child Centre, the medical waste management team moved to Anwiam Hospital Limited Kejetia Clinic.
Addressing journalists, the Ashanti East Regional Manager of Zoomlion Ghana Limited, Mr. Franklin Ofori Akufo, revealed that his outfit will undertake the operation in about 180 health centres of the region.
According to him, each health centre has been provided with two bins – one for general waste and the other for biomedical waste.
He explained that their task is to collect the used vaccine vials and treat them well before disposal.
“We have also been mandated to ensure proper management of healthcare waste from all vaccination centres,” he indicated.
This, Mr. Ofori Akufo stressed, is to reduce the potential spread of infections from used syringes and other infectious waste materials.
At the KMA Clinic Centre, the Deputy Director of Nursing Services-Metro Health Directorate, Joana Tawiah Burgeson, was full of praise for Zoomlion for its periodic work of collecting their medical waste.
She pointed out that they have enough vaccines to cater for people who will be coming for their second jabs.
Health centres which benefitted from the exercise on day-one included KMA Clinic, Awiam Clinic-Afful Nkwanta – under Subin Centres; and Mater Dei Hospital, Suntreso Government Hospital – Nhyiaeso Centres.
The others were Asokwa Municipal Centres, Agogo Hospital, SDA Hart, Asokwa Health Directorate, Lady Julia Hospital, SDA Hospital Kwadaso, Tiwaa Memorial Hospital, Maranatha Hospital, Tafo Government Hospital, Manhyia Government Hospital and Asokore Mampong Health Centre – all under Asokwa Municipal Centres.
