Assessing The Effectiveness Of Medical Waste Management Strategies; A Case Study Of Mwanza District, Tanzania

Medical wastes are highly infectious and hazardous wastes that may carry pathogens of dreadful diseases hence its management is vital not only because human health is important but also quality of the environment has to be kept into consideration. Mismanagement of Medical waste implies combinations of improper handling of wastes during generation, collection, storage, transport and treatment or disposal. However proper strategies for effective management are still the problem in urban areas and are becoming a potential public health risk and an environment burden as well. A study was guided by four objectives aiming on identifying strategies existing, effectiveness of identified strategies, challenges associated with medical waste management and to find out measures to those challenges in medical waste management, where a number of sixty (60) respondents were included and categorized into doctors, nurses, waste department members, private waste collectors companies and local communities where by methods such as interview, questionnaires and observation were used to collect information regarding waste management. Results showing that the identified strategies used to manage medical wastes were frequent collection, privatization, waste separation, waste treatment and incineration as well as to train workers. And their effectiveness seen was such as improves sanitation and quality of environment, improves health of local communities, controls diseases and reduction of wastes volume