CONTRIBUTION TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR BIOMEDICAL WASTE IN BENIN

The management of waste generated by hospitals, whether solid, liquid or gaseous, is a real problem given the risk it represents for human health and the environment. In order to contribute to the improvement of the management of Biomedical Waste (BMW) in health structures in Benin, a study was carried out at the hospital La Croix in Zinvie in 2014 on 105 individuals then resumed with 90 individuals in 2020. Qualitative and quantitative methods were used. The data collection instruments are the interview guide, the observation grid, the questionnaire and the laboratory analyses. From the results obtained, it appears that only 0.38% of the centers liquid biomedical waste (LBMW) is produced at the level of its various departments and constitutes infectious waste. This waste is then mixed with water similar to domestic water and discharged into the environment after a summary treatment with bleach while the values of their physico-chemical parameters (BOD₅, COD) exclude all self-purification hypothesis. In addition, approximately 37302 tons of infectious solid waste and 86 kg of anatomical waste are produced and managed each year in the center. Sorting at source, which was poorly done in 2014, is increasingly done in compliance with the legislation. It is therefore urgent to generalize this practice in hospitals in Benin, to promote the installation of LBMW treatment stations and/or to recommend a categorical treatment of the latter for better environmental protection.