NGO DONATES MODERN INCINERATOR FOR MEDICAL WASTE DISPOSAL IN FCT

By: Reginald Uhegbu

The management of medical waste in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has received a boost following the donation of a modern MY-T032 model incinerator by Famkris Health Care Initiative, a non-governmental organisation.

The incinerator, installed at the Comprehensive Primary Health Care Centre, Gidan Mangoro, in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), has a capacity of 5,000kg of waste and is designed to safely and efficiently dispose of healthcare waste generated by health facilities.

Speaking at the handover ceremony, the Mandate Secretary of the Health Services and Environment Secretariat, Dr Adedolapo Fasawe, represented by the Executive Secretary of the FCT Primary Health Care Board, Dr Dan Gadzama, expressed the administration’s appreciation to the organisation for the intervention.

Gadzama, who was represented at the event by the Director of Disease Control and Immunisation of the Board, Dr Nicholas Okoli, described the facility as a significant development for primary healthcare delivery in the territory.

He said the incinerator would improve the management and disposal of medical waste, noting that the government had faced challenges in this area and had, on several occasions, resorted to outsourcing waste disposal services.

According to him, the intervention aligns with the needs assessment of the Health Services and Environment Secretariat, which plans to establish similar facilities across all six area councils of the FCT.

He called on other non-governmental organisations to emulate Famkris Health Care Initiative by supporting government efforts to provide efficient and quality healthcare services to residents of the territory.

The incinerator at Gidan Mangoro is also expected to serve other primary healthcare facilities located within the surrounding communities.

Earlier, the Programme Manager of the FCT Malaria Elimination Programme, Zainab Ibrahim, said the incinerator was procured and installed by Famkris Health Care Initiative under the Support to Malaria Elimination Project, with funding from the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB).

Ibrahim explained that the facility would provide a reliable mechanism for the proper treatment of healthcare waste, thereby reducing the risks associated with improper disposal, open burning, uncontrolled dumping and the accumulation of hazardous waste in healthcare facilities.

Also speaking, the Health Care Waste Management Manager of Famkris Health Care Initiative, Amana Rosemary, said the donation formed part of the organisation’s commitment to strengthening healthcare waste management and promoting a safer and healthier environment in the FCT.

Rosemary expressed confidence that the facility would contribute to safer working conditions for healthcare workers, waste handlers and patients, while also protecting surrounding communities from the risks associated with improper medical waste disposal.

The event was attended by other dignitaries, including the Director of Primary Health Care, AMAC, Dr Samuel Adudu, and a representative of UNICEF.