By Tricia Ikem
A waste is a burden, it must manged properly by dropping any waste on unwanted places cause health problem said Special Adviser to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode on Cleaner Lagos Initiative, Adebola Shabi.He said this to pressman recently during the Association of Resident Doctors, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, LagosThe Special Adviser Governor Akinwunmi Ambode on Cleaner Lagos Initiative,Adebola Shabi, was represented by Jimmy Odukoya.urged residents to disposed refuse properly by waste bags or refuse can to avoid any breakout of health diseases within the community.According to him, the water that drop from waste without properly covered cause health problem, so we should commits in reducing the burden of waste management and improve the health of residents.Shabi saidThe 2018 theme, : “The Burden of Waste Management in a Megacity” and Sub theme, The hospital and Waste Mangement: A workable Model .Shabi, said that many wastes found on the highways were from the residences and urged residents to properly dispose their waste to prevent diseases resulting from improper disposal.“We all have responsibility to our society to clean and tidy our environment; we will benefit good health when we do so.“We advise people to always bag their wastes properly and wait for the collection.“Try to reduce your wastes; you can collapse waste that can be well packaged and make sure you segregate your wastes so that you do not have your premises messed up.“We will be doing our children a lot of good if we make sure our environment is tidy in order to avoid communicable diseases like Cholera and Lassa Fever.Dr James Akanmu, Senior Lecturer in Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, University of Lagos, urged the government to develop an overall strategic of urban waste management plan. The plan will prioritise areas of the city that are most vulnerable to wastes and require on-going monitoring and proactive intervention.Government should also integrate the informal sector such as scavengers and carry community along on collection, transportation and disposal of wastes
Chairman of Nigeria Medical Association, lagos state chapter, Dr Olugbenga Oseni, stressed the need of the state waste management to improved their services to hospitals especially private hospital.
Oseni said, although waste management has improved tremendously by the initiative of Gov Akinwunmi Ambode but alot need to be done because of infective diseases around our environment recently .
Government need to separate the private agency of waste management disposal who practically are not disposing anything. Government need to seperate politican aims of government with the practicalities of what need to be done.
We have situation where medical waste need to be empty as soon as possible, you see the private waste coming on they own will once in a month or in next two month to remove the waste at end of the month they will come to collect payment on service not render . This is the major challenges of our member who are in private hospital and the management faced, hospital waste need not to keep more than day.
The Association of Resident president , Dr Ajibola Salami,in his remark said that the theme was chosen because of the heaps of wastes on Lagos streets and in the communities, “As healthcare professionals, we think we need to come together, brainstorm and have a solution to the challenge ravaging Lagos.
