An Assessment of the Health Hazards on the Surrounding Urban Environment of General Hospital, Kuta, Niger State, Nigeria

General hospital Kuta like several medical centres in Nigeria lack the basic requirements of an environment that can be tagged as hazard free or that the hazard has been considerably minimised, due to a number of factors that... [ view full abstract ]

General hospital Kuta like several medical centres in Nigeria lack the basic requirements of an environment that can be tagged as hazard free or that the hazard has been considerably minimised, due to a number of factors that constitute health hazards such as improper management and disposal of medical waste; unhygienic environment; lack of proper management of communicable diseases such as Tuberculosis, Hepatitis B (HBV), Hepatitis C (HCV) and other airborne diseases. This situation in the study area constitutes a source of concern for both the medical personnel, patients and the surrounding environment, which needs to be assessed for proactive measures to be taken to avoid spread of diseases and loss of lives. The study aims at assessing the health hazard and coping capacity of General Hospital Kuta, Niger State. 181 health care workers and residents in close proximity to the hospital were examined. Data was collected using self-administered questionnaire and descriptively analyzed using SPSS version 16.0. The hazards identified in the study area and their rating according to risk they pose shows that exposure to contagious/communicable diseases to the surrounding environment ranked 1st; infections through infected sharp objects (such as needles and blades) that are not properly disposed ranked 2nd; continuous contact with disinfectants ranked 3rd amongst others. The following recommendations among others were made based on the findings: Management of General Hospital, Kuta should embark on the education of the health care personnel on safety and further carry out sensitization and capacity building on infection control through trainings and workshops for staff and residents of Kuta and ensure effective medical waste disposal system such as sterilization, and particularly the use of supercritical liquid carbon dioxide (SF-CO2).