TY - JOUR

T1 - Assessment of pharmaceutical waste management at selected hospitals and homes in Ghana

AU - Sasu, Samuel

AU - Kümmerer, Klaus

AU - Kranert, Martin

PY - 2012/6

Y1 - 2012/6

N2 - The practice of use and disposal of waste from pharmaceuticals compromises the safety of the environment as well as representing a serious health risk, as they may accumulate and stay active for a long time in the aquatic environment. This article therefore presents the outcome of a study on pharmaceutical waste management practices at homes and hospitals in Ghana. The study was conducted at five healthcare institutions randomly selected in Ghana, namely two teaching hospitals (hospital A, hospital B), one regional hospital (hospital C), one district hospital (hospital D) and one quasi-governmental hospital (hospital E). Apart from hospital E which currently has a pharmaceutical waste separation programmr as well as drug return programme called DUMP (Disposal of Unused Medicines Program), all other hospitals visited do not have any separate collection and disposal programme for pharmaceutical waste. A survey was also carried out among the general public, involving the questioning of randomly selected participants in order to investigate the household disposal of unused and expired pharmaceuticals. The results from the survey showed that more than half of the respondents confirmed having unused, left-over or expired medicines at home and over 75% disposed of pharmaceutical waste through the normal waste bins which end up in the landfills or dump sites.

AB - The practice of use and disposal of waste from pharmaceuticals compromises the safety of the environment as well as representing a serious health risk, as they may accumulate and stay active for a long time in the aquatic environment. This article therefore presents the outcome of a study on pharmaceutical waste management practices at homes and hospitals in Ghana. The study was conducted at five healthcare institutions randomly selected in Ghana, namely two teaching hospitals (hospital A, hospital B), one regional hospital (hospital C), one district hospital (hospital D) and one quasi-governmental hospital (hospital E). Apart from hospital E which currently has a pharmaceutical waste separation programmr as well as drug return programme called DUMP (Disposal of Unused Medicines Program), all other hospitals visited do not have any separate collection and disposal programme for pharmaceutical waste. A survey was also carried out among the general public, involving the questioning of randomly selected participants in order to investigate the household disposal of unused and expired pharmaceuticals. The results from the survey showed that more than half of the respondents confirmed having unused, left-over or expired medicines at home and over 75% disposed of pharmaceutical waste through the normal waste bins which end up in the landfills or dump sites.

KW - Chemistry

KW - Verfahrenstechnik

KW - pharmaceutical waste

KW - Health sciences

KW - health

KW - hospital

KW - Sustainability Science

KW - Environment

KW - household

KW - landfill

KW - Engineering

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84862269473&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1177/0734242X11423286

DO - 10.1177/0734242X11423286

M3 - Journal articles

C2 - 22081380

VL - 30

SP - 625

EP - 630

JO - Waste Management & Research

JF - Waste Management & Research

SN - 1096-3669

SN - 1399-3070

IS - 6

ER -