Zama spoke to the GCN following the recent GGHH Africa Conference in Durban and explained more about the award and what it means to the hospital to have won this award.<\/p>\n \u201cBertha Gxowa Hospital was the first government hospital to join the GGHH,\u201d explained Zama.<\/p> \u201cThe GGHH focuses on hospitals reducing their carbon footprint and impact on the environment across seven countries.<\/p>\n \u201cWe joined in 2016, and out of the 10 goals the organisation had laid out for the participating hospitals, we chose four.<\/p>\n \u201cThe four goals we decided to focus on were food, pharmaceuticals, energy and waste.<\/p>\n \u201cUnder each of these focus areas, we have projects which are helping to reduce our impact on the environment, while also helping reduce costs for the hospital.<\/p>\n \u201cThis award was awarded to us for our waste management projects.\u201d<\/p>\n Among the hospital\u2019s waste management projects is an insulin management project for diabetic patients who receive their insulin from the hospital for home use.<\/p>\n In this project, patients are given an official sharps container to dispose of their needles.<\/p>\n \u201cWe noticed that diabetic patients were given the medication, syringes and needles to self-medicate, but not the proper container to safely dispose of the needles after they have injected themselves,\u201d explained Zama.<\/p>\n Now each time a patient is issued with needles for medication, they are given an official sharps container which they are requested to bring back to the hospital at their next appointment.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will then make sure the needles are disposed of correctly and the patient will receive a new container for the new session of medication,\u201d said Zama.<\/p>\n Another project the hospital has undertaken in their waste management goal is the disposal of expired or unused medicine.<\/p>\n In this project, community members are encouraged to bring their expired or unused medication to the hospital where it can be properly disposed of.<\/p>\n \u201cInstead of flushing the unused or expired medicine down the toilet, where it will end up in our rivers, or sending it to landfills where people could get hold of it and use it incorrectly, rather bring it to the hospital where it can be disposed of properly,\u201d said Zama.<\/p>\n In-hospital waste management has also been addressed by Zama and her team.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a waste reduction project which is running within the hospital, which aims to remove infectious waste from wards and cubicles as quickly as possible,\u201d said Zama.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you are a patient in hospital and you are trying to rest and get better you don\u2019t want to be smelling blood and such waste.<\/p>\n \u201cSo we decided to address this.\u201d<\/p>\n Through this project, hospital staff and visitors are also educated continuously on what type of waste needs to go into what bin, as medical and municipal waste must be kept separate.<\/p>\n \u201cWith the education of both staff members and the public, we have been able to reduce our waste which has meant a reduction in costs,\u201d said Zama.<\/p>\n Winning the award has motivated not just Zama, but her team to keep up their hard work.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are so grateful for the award,\u201d said Zama.<\/p>\n \u201cTeam work is everything and this award shows we are heading in the right direction.<\/p>\n \u201cThis award has really motivated the team to do more because they see that their hard work doesn\u2019t go unnoticed.\u201d<\/p>\n Going forward, the hospital hopes to not only continue with their current projects, but to implement some new projects as well.<\/p>\n \u201cWe look forward to winning more awards,\u201d said Zama with a laugh.<\/p>\n Hear more from the interview:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/germistoncitynews.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2019\/11\/48GCNGENERALGREE_07141-520x390.jpg\")
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