Felix Hammond

Medical waste management in Ibadan, Nigeria: Obstacles and prospects

Quantification and characterization of medical waste generated in healthcare facilities (HCFs) in a developing African nation has been conducted to provide insights into existing waste collection and disposal approaches, so as to provide sustainable avenues for institutional policy improvement. The study, in Ibadan city, Nigeria, entailed a representative classification of nearly 400 healthcare facilities, from 11 local government areas (LGA) of Ibadan, into tertiary, secondary, primary, and diagnostic HCFs, of which, 52 HCFs were strategically selected. Primary data sources included field measurements, waste sampling and analysis and a questionnaire, while secondary information sources included public and private records from hospitals and government ministries. Results indicate secondary HCFs generate the greatest amounts of medical waste (mean of 10,238 kg/day per facility) followed by tertiary, primary and diagnostic HCFs, respectively. Characterised waste revealed that only approximately 3% was deemed infectious and highlights opportunities for composting, reuse and recycling. Furthermore, the management practices in most facilities expose patients, staff, waste handlers and the populace to unnecessary health risks. This study proffers recommendations to include (i) a need for sustained cooperation among all key actors (government, hospitals and waste managers) in implementing a safe and reliable medical waste management strategy, not only in legislation and policy formation but also particularly in its monitoring and enforcement and (ii) an obligation for each HCF to ensure a safe and hygienic system of medical waste handling, segregation, collection, storage, transportation, treatment and disposal, with minimal risk to handlers, public health and the environment.

The Impact of Flooding on the Price of Residential Property: A Transactional Analysis of the UK Market

The increase in frequency and severity of flood events in the UK has highlighted the question of the impact of flooding on the value of property. Previous studies in the UK and internationally have measured a wide variety of impacts from no impact to discounts of more than 40 per cent of property price. Transactional measurements have not previously been attempted in the UK property market due to lack of available data. In order to improve the available evidence base, a variation of the repeat sales methodology has been used to measure the impact of flooding on the price of transacted residential property for 13 locations in the UK. The results reveal the impact of flood events to be highly variable and temporary and no effect of flood designation. The policy implications of these findings with regard to the perceptions and behaviours of property stakeholders are explored.

Landed property market information management and access to finance

Purpose – There is a longstanding argument that landed property market information management via land registration guarantees accessibility to loans from financial institutions for investment and wealth creation in developing economies. Thus, land registration has been prescribed as the solution to the problem of poverty and underdevelopment. The purpose of this paper is to critically examine the link that exists between land registration and access to investment loans from banks.Design/methodology/approach – The study employed the qualitative research approach using empirical data from Ghana. Banks constituted the survey participants, and data were collected by administering a mainly open‐ended questionnaire to loans officers of 18 banks. The data was coded with the aid of Nvivo for analysis.Findings – It has been established that: financial capability of potential mortgagors is the main criterion used by banks to grant investment loans; and land registration is not a prerequisite in mortgage transactio...

Development of conceptual framework for understanding vulnerability of commercial property values towards flooding

Purpose – The purpose of the research is to develop a conceptual framework to anticipate the vulnerability of value of commercial properties towards changing risk of flooding. The existing patterns, themes, and issues associated with property value and their vulnerability towards flooding were identified and used to inform the development of the conceptual model. Design/ methodology/approach – Literature review is performed to identify the factors affecting vulnerability of commercial property values to the impact of flood risk in the UK. The review approach was based on related literature contributing to identified themes and sub-themes. The extant literature is summarized into two distinct themes of “vulnerability” and “value” contributing to changing risk of flooding. The synthesised literature is then utilized in developing the conceptual map which further paved the way towards designing the conceptual framework. Findings – The generic conceptual framework presented explores the interaction between di...

The cost of land title formalisation in Ghana

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess cost of land title formalisation in Ghana from the standpoint of individual land/property owners with the view to suggesting a cost-effective means for title formalisation in the country. Design/methodology/approach – The paper adopts a quantitative research approach with mainly questionnaire instruments to obtain data from real estate valuers, land agents and lawyers in Accra, Ghanas capital city. Findings – Consistent with the literature, the paper found that title formalisation cost is high with extensive time lag. A substantial portion of the cost emanates from commuting cost for follow-ups to expedite action on title formalisation activities, cost of time lag and unofficial and professional fees for facilitation of title formalisation activities. Practical implications – For land title formalisation to contribute to socio-economic development of Ghana and other developing countries, there is a need for effective and efficient land title formalisation ...

The Relative Efficiency of Land Sector Public Bureaucracies in Ghana

This article investigates the causes and scale of land-related public service inefficiencies in Ghana. Public choice theorists contend that the primary cause of inefficiency of public service agencies is their tendency to grow excessively. The finding of the study did not support the excessive growth proposition as far as the land-related public service agencies in Ghana are concerned. On the contrary, the evidence suggests that the agencies in question are shrinking in size, with some experiencing deficit budgetary growth rate of approximately −28.71% (Land Title Registry). Large proportions of inefficiencies were rather discovered in nontraditional (hidden) sources, such as insufficient budgets, misallocations of limited funds, and imbalances in the structure of the respective workforces of these agencies. These have led to heightened intensity of rent-seeking activities, inertia, lack of customer care, abuse of procedures, general dearth of professionalism, and considerable delays in the delivery of services.

Housing Policy Impact on Affordable Housing Production in Lagos Nigeria

It is a realistic expectation of the populace to demand adequate housing from the government as well as from the private sector. The government has realized that a combination of providers is the only way to meet the demand. In other more developed countries this combination of suppliers have struggled and housing policy and its delivery is constantly being reviewed. It is hoped that the recently revised national housing policy has considered the different implication and will endeavour to accommodate the variety of need.

MODEL PREDICTING COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS (CBA) OF ACCIDENT PREVENTION ON CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS

Health and safety issues are major concerns in the United Kingdom (UK) construction industry. Evidence suggests that research studies on construction health and safety management issues have yet to lead to a significant reduction in the number of accidents. To tackle the causes of days lost through accidents and to improve health and safety performance in the construction industry, the industry needs to understand the cost benefit analysis (CBA) of accident prevention. The paper reviewed the rate of accidents in the UK construction industry and presents a model predicting CBA of accident prevention on construction projects. A quantitative method approach was used to collect data from health and safety managers in the UK construction industry for the survey. A total of 79 contractors (small, medium and large) participated in the questionnaire survey. A simple linear regression model was adopted to identify the effect of total costs of accident prevention on benefits of accident prevention. The result revealed that costs of accident prevention are significantly associated with benefits of accident prevention. The model predicted that the more the contractors spend on accident prevention the more the benefit of accident prevention they derived. This is part of a wider study to improve the management of health and safety and to propose a way forward for safer and healthier construction sites. Keywords accident prevention, construction projects, cost benefit analysis, health and safety Language: en