| dc.description.abstract | Background: In the absence of their timely and safe disposal, pharmaceutical waste poses serious detrimental health and environmental implications. Pharmaceutical waste also presents opportunities for diversion and repackaging for the counterfeit market, or sold for recreational use. Private pharmacies are one the major generators of pharmaceutical waste and yet there is insufficient data on the quantity, identity and disposal practices of pharmaceutical waste among these outlets in Kampala, which has the highest number (43%) of registered outlets in Uganda. Central Division has close to 50% of private pharmacies in Kampala. Objective: To assess the pharmaceutical waste burden and disposal practices among selected private pharmacies in Kampala, Central Division. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted among sampled registered pharmacies in Kampala Central Division. Data was collectedusing interviewer-administered questionnaires and key informant guides. All analyses used STATA version 14.0. Qualitative data from key informant interviews was audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and field notes made. Thematic analysis was then conducted using Atlas Ti version 6.
Results: Majority of the pharmacies were retail outlets (40.6%). The pharmaceutical waste present in the majority of private pharmacies in Central Division, Kampala weighed less than 10kg, was composed of mainly antibiotics (39.6%) and cardiovascular drugs (26.7%), and was accumulated in a period of between 1 and 6 months. Most of the pharmacies (59.4%) reported disposing of pharmaceutical waste biannually. The most commonly used disposal methods for all dosage forms were delivering the waste to National Drug Authority (NDA), however, data from the key informants revealed that NDA did not get returns from over 80% of pharmacies. Most of the participants stated that they delivered drugs back to NDA because it was the
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legal/recommended method. Key informants mentioned open burning and burying as the other disposal methods used by the pharmacies. The major challenge faced during the disposal process was it being a costly process (53.0%). Conclusion: Pharmaceutical waste is present in the majority of private pharmacies in Central Division of Kampala in amounts of less than 25kg and is comprised mainly of antibiotics and cardiovascular drugs. Disposal is mainly through the National Drug Authority and by returning it to the wholesalers or distributors. High costs, time-consuming, and it being a tedious process, are the major challenges during the disposal process. Because of this, some facilities end up using unacceptable and dangerous methods like open burning, and dumping into municipal waste as ways to dispose of pharmaceutical waste. | en_US |
