Issue of Biomedical Solid Waste Management in CSCOMs, CSREF and Clinics in the Urban Commune of Sikasso

The city of Sikasso is facing an alarming situation regarding the management of biomedical waste, caused by the multiplication of private health facilities. As a result, biomedical waste is often found in neighborhood dumps and sometimes mixed into household waste containers of certain public structures, whose contents are then sent to the public landfill. This situation poses a major risk to both human health and the environment of the city. The objective of this work is to carry out a comparative study on the modes of biomedical waste management between the private and public sectors (Clinics and CSCOMs), and to propose concrete recommendations for more effective, sustainable, and safe management of biomedical solid waste in Sikasso. The adopted methodology consisted of a literature review, followed by field surveys through questionnaires on biomedical solid waste management. The sample was exhaustive, covering all health facilities in the city of Sikasso, including 12 CSCOMs, 8 Clinics, and the CSREF. The study results revealed that 90.5% of facilities practice waste sorting at the source, 14.3% of private clinics have not appointed a person responsible for waste management, 85.7% of facilities have manuals on waste management procedures, and 37.5% of clinics do not practice waste transportation to specialized facilities ensured by GIEs as a disposal method and do not have an anatomical waste pit. To address the environmental and health problems generated by this waste, health centers, especially private clinics, must comply with biomedical waste management standards, and the municipal authorities must become more involved in the management of private facilities.