By Brian Wasili

Mwanza, March 2, Mana: Ministry of Health has engaged southern region District Information Officers (DIOs) and health personnel in public health on dissemination of National Healthcare Waste Management Policy so that it should guide proper management of healthcare waste.

The ministry’s Chief Public Health Officer in the Public Health Division, Sydney Lockie Paul, said there was need to engage media practitioners in disseminating the policy, adding that orienting information officers on the policy was necessary, as they inform the public on many policies through news articles.

Paul said this in Blantyre recently at the end of three-day policy dissemination meeting with the DIOs, Environmental Health Officers, Nursing and Midwifery Officers, Health Promotion Officers, Infection Prevention and Control Coordinators, Hospital Management Committee Chairpersons, Healthcare Waste Management Focal Coordinators and Water Sanitation and Hygiene Coordinators.

He expressed hope that the DIOs, in collaboration with Health Promotion Officers and other hospital level officers, will popularise the National Healthcare Waste Management Policy to the public.

“Previously, Ministry of Health did not have a comprehensive document in place as a guiding tool; as such, there was no proper way of managing healthcare waste. The challenge has now been addressed because of this policy," Paul added.

He also indicated that key issues highlighted in the policy include legal framework, human capacity building, monitoring and evaluation, governance, infrastructure and public awareness.

Paul further emphasised the need to popularise to the public the content of the policy and implementation strategies at the lowest level through awareness, saying this was the reason Ministry of Health decided to engage district information officers as media practitioners for a joint district-level stakeholders’ collaboration in the policy popuralisation.

Thyolo DIO Yamikani Yapuwa said the meeting was ideal, as it was informative on the National Healthcare Waste Management Policy.

She added that the knowledge about the new policy will help the information officers to write informative news articles and ably disseminate correct information through other communication channels in their respective districts.

"District Information Officers have capacity to raise awareness at council level using different means of communication. I am sure we will work together with health officers to effectively inform communities about the policy so that it should be well understood and implemented at the lowest level,” added Yapuwa.

She therefore pledged total commitment to work with the health sector to ensure that planned activities in the dissemination and implementation of the policy are done for positive results at district level.

Mwanza District Environmental Health Officer Andrew Nowa said dissemination on National Healthcare Waste Management Policy was necessary as it will guide in protecting health workers and communities against accidents and diseases related to poor healthcare waste management.

"It will also promote clean environment and at the same time reduce infections that are related to poor healthcare waste management in health facilities,” he added.

Nowa pledged to impart the knowledge to fellow health workers and other district and community level stakeholders to ensure the policy is fully understood for effective implementation and better results.

Similar policy dissemination sessions with districts councils in the central and northern regions are expected soon, according to the Ministry of Health.