Refrigerated waste trucks to start medical waste collection

This development was unveiled by President Adama Barrow on the sidelines of the recent inauguration of the country's first medical waste treatment facility in Farato.

All health facilities across the country, public and private, will benefit from the landmark development, according to the president.

"I am happy to state that we will commission, alongside the plants (the medical waste treatment facility), three modern refrigerated waste trucks to transport medical waste from all health facilities, public and private, to the waste treatment centre for processing," President Adama Barrow stated. 

That he added, is to prevent health risks to the public "because using commercial trucks to transport medical waste equally poses a lot of risk to the public."

"To ensure that no part of the country is left out, we have already inaugurated huge incinerators in each of the seven health regions of the country."

All these are in line with the National Development Plan, the president divulgated.

Dealing with clinical waste remains one of the most challenging issues in the African continent and The Gambia is not an exception.

According to data, before the onset of the pandemic, Africa produced an estimated 282 000 tonnes of medical waste each year. 

Data has also asserted that only about 10% of the continent's medical wastes end up at treatment facilities for proper treatment before disposable or recycled into other useful things.

With this landmark achievement, the government is hopeful that medical waste management will be improved in The Gambia.