Asessment of Biomedical Waste Management Among Primary Healthcare Workers in Gwadabawa Local Government of Sokoto State, Nigeria

The aim of the study “Assessment Of Biomedical Waste Management Among Primary Healthcare Workers In Gwadabawa Local Government Of Sokoto State” was to assess Biomedical Waste Management Among Primary Healthcare Workers In Gwadabawa Local Government Of Sokoto State. The type of design utilized in this study was descriptive survey type. Therein, it revealed the use of personal protection among healthcare workers in the course of waste management in Gwadabawa local government, Sokoto state. Most of the participants (30.0%) submitted that they wear protective glasses sometimes, then always (13.3%), very few (1.6%). 18.3% uses protective foot wears sometimes, 13.3% frequently, and 3.3% of the respondents do not used protective foot wears. Most of them 26.7% always wash their hands, 15.0% wash hands frequently, and 8.3% wash their hands sometimes. 28.3% wear labsuit sometimes and 16.0% wear labsuits always. On the question “Have you ever been vaccinated against microbes which could arise from waste?” Only 6.7 submitted that they are always vaccinated. When asked “When do you receive training on waste management?” only 3.3 % received training always. Relating to sorting or segregation of waste, 16.7% said they practiced it always, 10.0% practiced it sometimes. 3.3% said they never practice sorting.10.0% have 3 boxes, and 11.7% have 4 boxes for waste segregation. 20.0% of the respondents said always there is storage after collection, while 1.6% said there is none. The waste storage place are incineration (16.7%) open dumping (6.7%), dig trench (1.6%), and well-equipped and maintained (3.3%). Types of waste treatment reported are: incineration (11.7%), disinfection (11.7%), chemical (6.7%), and autoclaving (3.3%). The challenges or constraints as experienced by respondents are: absence of plans(20.0%), lack of monitoring and evaluation (20.0%), poor hygiene in collection, storage, transportation, and treatment (16.7%),poor/lack of waste segregation facility(16.7%), lack of personal protective equipment (13.3%), lack of training (10.0%), lack of post-exposure drugs (10.0%). The workers are not fully practicing personal protective measures. There is also lack of adequate training of workers on biomedical waste in healthcare in Gwadabawa. Keyword : biomedical waste, primary healthcare, personal protective equipment, hygiene, monitoring.