Medical waste treatment facility opened at Akrofu

A medical waste treatment facility has been commissioned at Akrofu-Agorve near Ho in the Volta Region.

The facility, the second of its kind in the country, is meant to collect and treat hazardous healthcare waste components, including used syringes, blood-stained materials, pathological, COVID-19, and vaccination wastes.

The multimillion-dollar plant realised through a Public Private Partnership (PPP) and equipped with a state-of-the-art microwave treatment component, can treat 10,000 kilogrammes of medical waste daily, recycling the waste and adding value to it.

Fitted with a non-incineration technique, no atmospheric pollutants will be released into the atmosphere in the treatment process.

The facility also has a cold room for waste storage and specialised waste trucks for transporting medical waste from the various healthcare facilities in the region to the treatment site.

SDGs

The Regional Minister, Dr Archibald Yao Letsa, said at a durbar before the official opening ceremony that the treatment plant bore ample testimony to the serious efforts by the government towards the attainment of the third and 17th Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which focused on health and well-being, and partnership, respectively.

He entreated all medical and health facilities that generated medical waste to patronise the facility.

“I have no doubt that the subsidiary of Jospong Group of Companies in charge of this facility will take proper care of it and ensure that it remains functional to meet the needs of future generations,” Dr Letsa added.

He highlighted the need for caution and proper handling, storage, transportation and disposal of medical waste, saying the improper management of healthcare waste could result in the spread of infection in one way or the other.

The Executive Director, Environment and Sanitation Group (Processing Cluster) of Jospong Group of Companies, Haida Said, said the plant would offer 200 direct and indirect employment opportunities to the people of the community.

He said by utilising advanced technology, recycling capacities and adhering to environmental and safety standards, the facility contributed to the advancement of national and international sustainability goals.

The Ho Municipal Chief Executive, Divine Bosson, said the commissioning of the facility at Akrofu–Agorve was yet another step towards enhancing Ho’s status as the ‘Oxygen City of Ghana.’

The Paramount Queen of the Akrofu Traditional Area, Mama Nyabor VII, said the waste treatment plant had raised the status of the community to greater heights.

“So, the roads to Akrofu must be fixed without delay, for the plant to perform its objectives smoothly and effectively,” she added.

Present at the function was the Deputy Minister of Health, Mahama Asei Seini.