Barbra Yagoo
DARE Project: COVID-19 and Healthcare Waste Management in Urban Africa: A Comparative Study of Accra (Ghana) and Kigali, (Rwanda)
Program(s) of Study: Urban Studies
Project Supervisor: Jeffrey Squire
Poor effective waste management practices in African nations is an ongoing issue. I hope this research is eye-opening for many people, specifically urban planners so that change can be encouraged within developing countries.
Project Description:
This project involves a critical scrutiny of healthcare waste management practices in urban Africa during the global outbreak of COVID-19. In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a global pandemic and to date, the virus has affected close to a hundred 100 million people and contributed to the death of over 2 million individuals in different parts of the world including many in African countries. Although there is currently no known cure for COVID-19, scientific advancements have led to the development of testing kits, vaccines and therapeutics that have been shown to slow down the progression of the virus. Ironically, the treatment of hospitalized patients, coupled with the administration of vaccines contributes to the generation of infectious wastes which requires special management provisions. This is because healthcare wastes generally constitute a reservoir of pathogenic microorganisms that can give rise to infections and may also have deleterious effects on the environment, even at low concentrations. As such, safe and effective management practices are extremely necessary for the mitigation of risks. These include safe handling, storage, transportation, treatment and disposal practices. In the absence of effective management approaches, pathogenic microorganisms, needles, contaminated blood and human body fluids, may give rise to infections in human populations. Despite the risks, the management of healthcare wastes in many African countries has historically been facilitated haphazardly with very little attention given to environmental and human health considerations. In what ways has the situation changed during the global pandemic? Are there steps that can be taken to improve the situation? What factors contribute to successes and failures? Using the capital cities of Ghana (Accra) and Rwanda (Kigali) as case examples, this research investigates urban Africa’s approach to healthcare waste management in the era of COVID-19. Policy recommendations that might be used to address existing gaps are also explored.The Dean’s Award for Research Excellence (DARE) – Undergraduate enables our students to meaningfully engage in research projects supervised by LA&PS faculty members. Find out more about DARE.