The Physician Assistant at Okrakwajo Health Centre in the Eastern Region, Madam Lydia Gordon, has praised Zoomlion Ghana Limited, following its role in the ongoing nationwide management and safe disposal of COVID-19 vaccine waste and its ancillary supplies.
“Ever since COVID-19 hit our country, one particular company that has sparred no effort in supporting the government’s COVID fight is Zoomlion,” she affirmed.
She was very delighted that Zoomlion was once again at the forefront of helping in the management of used and discarded COVID-19 vaccine waste.
Madam Gordon was speaking to the media on Wednesday, September 1, 2021, during a vaccination exercise at the Okrakwajo Health Centre.
The exercise is targeted at properly managing vaccination waste generated from the various vaccination centres per the World Health Organisation (WHO) standards for managing healthcare waste.
With this medical waste management system in place, Ghana will benefit from reducing the potential spread of infectious diseases such as HIV, Hepatitis, etc., which may arise from the vaccination.
She seized the chance to highlight some of the challenges facing her health centre, stating that the facility had no ambulance to attend to emergency cases.
“Also, our health facility needs some facelift in the area of infrastructure, and more so, roads leading to the hospital were in very poor condition,” she lamented.
She appealed to the government to come to their aid to enable the facility operate effectively. Trash bins were provided to the Okrakwajo Health Centre by Zoomlion.
The Disease Control Officer, Akuapem-North Health Directorate in the Eastern Region, Mr Joseph Abankwa, stated that the nationwide vaccination exercise against COVID-19 will help in the country’s fight against the virus.
He thus encouraged people who had already taken the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine to go to vaccination centres within their areas for the second jabs.
Mr Abankwa spoke to the media on behalf of the Director of Akuapem-North Health Directorate on the sidelines of a vaccination exercise at the centre.
For her part, the Municipal Disease Control Officer of Tetteh Quarshie Memorial Hospital (TQMH), Madam Diana Ohene explained that separate arrangement has been made for those taking the second jab of AstraZeneca vaccine from those being given the Johnson and Johnson vaccine.
However, she appealed to the government to supply them with more vaccines, explaining many more people were trooping in to be vaccinated.
She also advised Ghanaians to continue observing the COVID -19 preventive protocols.
The Communication and Corporate Affairs Manager, Zoomlion, Mrs Emma Adwoa Piaa Osei Duah, reiterated her outfit’s unwavering commitment towards the COVID fight.
According to the WHO, vaccination waste predominantly comprises used needles, syringes, and blood-stained cotton is classified as potentially infectious waste. In this regard, the vaccination waste needs to be managed with hazardous waste management protocols.
And to achieve this goal, Zoomlion medical waste team has positioned waste bins with colour-coded liners in all vaccination centres across the country, serving as temporary storage containers for segregated waste.
The sharps and other infectious waste are then collected and transported by specialized medical waste trucks deployed across the country.
The collected waste will then be treated at centralized medical waste treatment facilities through sterilization and shredding. At this point, the waste is considered safe for final disposal.
The medical waste team of Zoomlion is collaborating with technical experts from the Schools of Hygiene in Ghana to provide medical waste management services to all vaccination centres across the country.
In the light of the above, Zoomlion has activated its regional and district teams of trained personnel to help manage the vaccination waste across the country.
