MONITORING AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES

Providing Environmental Health and Sanitation profile for policy formulation

Process

1. Survey
2. Geographical boundary
3. Population
4. Identify socio-economic/cultural activities
5. Identify stakeholders / opinion leaders
6. Identify sanitary sites and other facilities eg. Schools, hospitals, churches etc
7. Identify hard core sanitary problems existing within the community

Premises inspection

Process

• Name and Address
• Inspection
• Identification of sanitary problems and abatement of nuisance

Methods

• Health Education
• Issuance of notices and court summons
• Prosecution
• Bench warrant execution
• Public places (markets, lorry parks, terminals)
• Sanitary facilities (abattoir, slaughter slabs, public toilets, public cemeteries)

Receiving complaints on sanitary nuisances and ensuring abatement

Process

• Investigation
• Health Education
• Notices
• Summons
• Prosecutions

Resources Needed

• Statutory Notice books, summons books
• Fuel and transport
• Noise measuring and sound meters
• Vehicle emission detectors
• Stationery

Hygiene / Health Education

• Identification of Community Health problems and needs
• Set strategic objectives
• Design of program manuals, handbook, brochures, leaflets etc
• Implementation and Evaluation

Disposal of the dead

When Death occurs at Hospital

A formal notice of death is provided by a Medical Practitioner who issues a medical cause of death in accordance with Sec. 18, Act 301 of Birth and Deaths registry.

The body remains in the morgue until a member of the family brings to the registry of death, a copy of the medical cause of death, duly signed by a Medical Practitioner stating:

1. Name of Deceased
2. House No.
3. Age of Deceased
4. Cause of Death
5. Date and Time of Death
6. Disease Condition
7. Antecedent cause
8. Other significant conditions contributing to the death, but not related to the disease on condition causing it.

Having satisfied the above conditions, the cemetery management and Control Unit of the Municipal Environmental Health Department which is responsible for issuing burial permit in the Effia-Kwesimintsim Municipality, will then issue permit to any member of the deceased’s family who reported the death and may sign as an informant of the death.  This is subject to Sec. 20 Act 301, Regulation 17 and 18.

Where Death Occurs at Home

A family member calls a doctor or the last doctor the patient had seen.  Report to the nearest District Police Station within the area where death had occurred.

The Police assists family member in acquiring a coroner’s report, after which a burial permit is issued subject to Sec. 20 (2) Act 301, Regulation 17 and 18.

Process

• Record keeping on deaths
• Sanitary disposal of the dead
• Ordinary burial
• Cremation
• Exhumation
• Disinfection

Management and Control of Cemeteries

• Allocation of grave space
• Clearing of overgrowth of weeds in cemeteries
• Enforcement of burial standards
• Enforcement of cemeteries and burial bye-laws

 Resources Needed

• Chemicals
• Standby Ambulance / hearse

Collaborating with Health Centers on Diseases Control

Process

• Prioritization of disease cases in community eg. malaria
• Larviciding
• Hygiene education (eg. Distribution of mosquito nets)
• Enforcement of sanitary bye-laws

Monitoring and Report of Waste Management issues

Process

• Refuse collection and Disposal
• Drain Cleansing
• Liquid and Solid Waste disposal eg. Supervision of drain cleansing, refuse and public toilet contractors
• Prosecution (enforcement of bye-laws)

Prosecuting sanitary offenders

Process

• Serving of statutory notices
• Serving of summons
• Prosecution
• Execution of bench warrant arrests

• Providing Back-up support to the Lower levels of the Assembly / urban councils

• Training of Assembly members, opinion leaders in urban councils on health related issues
• Provided logistics / resources to other stakeholders

• Monitoring Large Industries in collaboration with other Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDA’s) involved in environmental management eg. EPA, WRC etc.

Premises Inspection of Industries

• Name and Address of industry
• Inspection location, structure, facilities, products
• Health and safety of workers
• Identification of sanitary problems and abatement of nuisances
• Enforcement of bye-laws on industries

Methods

• Health Education
• Issuance of notices and court summons
• Prosecution
• Execution of Bench warrant arrests

• Serving on the Statutory Planning Committee and Site Advisory Board of the Assembly.

• Prosecuting and effecting bench warrant arrests
• Serving Statutory Notices
• Serving of Court Summons
• Prosecutions
• Effecting Arrests

• Responsible over the Sanitation Gang (Sanigang) which is responsible for Pest Control, control of Stray Animals and Disposal of Unclaimed Corpses (where applicable).

Pest control

• Survey
• Identification of breeding sites
• Disinfection
• Larviciding

Control of Stray Animals

• Health Education, awareness creation on stray animals, bye-laws (EKMA bye-laws on control of cattle, sheep, goat etc)
• Arrest
• Impound
• Fine / Auction

Disposal of Unclaimed Corpses

• Organizing transport
• Ensure sanitary disposal of the dead

• Provide monthly / quarterly / midyear/ yearly report to the appropriate quarters for decision making

Certification of Food Handlers

Food Handlers are made to undergo periodic medical screening by the Municipal Environmental Health Department.  The examination is to investigate for pathogenic micro-organisms by means of blood, sputum and stool.

The handlers are issued with certificate when they are found to be fit.  Those found to be unfit are directed for treatment.

After two weeks, they present their samples for re-examination and thereafter the handler is issued with medical health certificate to confirm fitness to handle food for public consumption.