Kano State Commissioner for Environment, Dahir Hashim, has expressed displeasure over the poor waste management system and inadequate hygiene protocols observed in some state hospitals.
During an inspection tour, he raised concerns over unclean restrooms and poorly maintained hospital surroundings, warning that such conditions could exacerbate health issues for patients rather than aid their recovery.
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“We decided today to pay a visit to some of our hospitals here in Kano to ascertain the level of, or the quality of the environment. To make sure people coming in for cure don’t end up picking other diseases or infections precisely.” He said.
The Commissioner visited Waziri Gidado Hospital, Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital, and Abdullahi Wase Teaching Hospital, focusing on toilets, general surroundings, and waste disposal sites.
“We have been to Waziri Gidado Hospital and we have been to Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital and third is Abdullahi Wase Teaching Hospital to ascertain the quality of the environment, particularly to see the toilet and general surrounding and some of their dumping site." He said.
“I don’t need to mention names but what we see in some of the hospitals is completely unacceptable and we have drawn the attention and serve them with abatement notice to make sure that within the week this issue has been resolved." He added.Hashim also criticized the improper handling of hospital waste, particularly the open burning of refuse and poor sorting of biomedical waste in some facilities.
“When I thought about things we are not happy with start from the way refuse is being handled in this facilities. As a hospital you don’t expect to be having an open burning of refuse because you have sort of biomedical waste. In some of the hospitals they are not even sorted, he noted.
He urged hospital administrators to take proactive measures in maintaining cleanliness, warning that non-compliance could lead to sanctions or further regulatory actions.
The Commissioner emphasized that maintaining proper hygiene in healthcare facilities is crucial to achieving the broader goal of keeping Kano clean and ensuring a healthier environment for all.
