Quantification and compliance with solid biomedical waste management procedures: effects on the reduction of environmental pollution at the University Hospital Centre (CHU) Campus in Togo

University Hospital Campus Togo Introduction. Compliance with procedures, in particular sorting and quantification procedures, remains the basis of the effective management of solid biomedical waste. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of the quantification of solid biomedical waste and compliance with management procedures on the reduction of environmental pollution at the UHC Campus in Togo. Study methods. This is a pilot intervention study, of the quasi-experimental before-after type. Data collection took place between 2 January and 2 May 2022 at the UHC Campus. It involved nine departments which were selected in a simple random way, three directors and assistants, 21 service supervisors, and two collection and incineration agents selected by reasoned choice. Data was analysed by calculating proportions and averages. Results. The average quantities of solid biomedical waste (BMW) produced vary from 9.9 kg/month in the Psychiatry Department to 23.4 kg/month in the Neurology Department. Depending on the number of beds per department, these quantities varied from 0.5 kg/month/bed in the Hepato-Gastro-Enterology, Maternity-Gynecology, and Psychiatry Departments to 4.7 kg/month/bed in the Traumatology Department & Operating Room. Following implementation of the intervention to comply with management procedures and the quantification of BMW by department, we noted compliance with the sorting procedures at the source, compliance with the incineration procedures by the collection agents, a reduction in disease vectors at the places where they proliferated, and a marked reduction in the volume of BMW to be treated by incineration. In addition, the black smoke that appeared during the incineration, constituting a real inconvenience for the residents, turned whitish. Conclusion. The continuous practice of quantifying BMW and complying with waste management procedures in the UHC in Togo will make it possible to minimise environmental risks as well as health risks for service providers, users and residents.