Caractérisation d’un écosystème artificiel urbain, typologie des polluants et description des conséquences éventuelles sur la santé humaine, cas de l’Hôpital Provincial du Nord-Kivu, République Démocratique du Congo
Mots-clés :
Déchets hospitaliers, Écosystème artificiel, Pollution urbaine, Risques sanitaires. Hospital waste, Artificial ecosystem, Urban pollution, Health risks.Résumé
L’Hôpital Provincial du Nord-Kivu, situé à Goma en République Démocratique du Congo, représente un écosystème artificiel urbain générant une grande diversité de polluants environnementaux. Cette étude vise à caractériser les types de déchets hospitaliers produits, comparer les résultats (corrélations entre les paramètres étudiés), et analyser les impacts éventuels sur la santé humaine. Ce travail a adopté une méthodologie mixte avec un échantillon de 65 participants dont le personnel soignant, les agents d’entretien ainsi que les patients internés pendant la période d’enquêtes. L’outil Kobocollect a été utilisé pour la collecte des données qui étaient ensuite traitées avec le logiciel Excel et SPSS version 21.0.
Les résultats ont montré que les déchets biologiques sont les plus fréquents (30%), suivis des déchets chimiques (20%) et enfin pharmaceutiques (15%). En ce qui concerne les symptômes observés, les plus fréquents sont les maux de tête (46 %), la toux (38 %), et la fatigue chronique (33 %). L’Analyse de la variance a montré qu’il n’existe pas de différence significative entre les différents symptômes, malgré un risque élevé dans les zones à forte pollution. Les enquêtés de toute catégorie (corps médical, patients et travailleurs) de l’hopital Général de Référence du Nord-Kivu (83%) sont exposés à un risque environnemental variant de moyen à élevé. Ces résultats montrent la nécessité urgente de renforcer les capacités de gestion environnementale hospitalière par la formation, l’amélioration des infrastructures et la mise en œuvre de protocoles de gestion des déchets conformes aux normes de l’OMS. Ces mesures réduisent la contamination environnementale et protègent la santé du personnel hospitalier, des patients et des communautés avoisinantes.
Abstract
The North Kivu Provincial Hospital, located in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, constitutes an urban artificial ecosystem that generates a wide variety of environmental pollutants. This study aims to characterize the types of hospital waste produced, compare the results (correlations between the parameters studied), and analyze potential impacts on human health. A mixed-methods approach was adopted, involving a sample of 65 participants comprising healthcare staff, maintenance workers, and inpatients present during the survey period. Data collection was carried out using the KoboCollect tool, and the data were subsequently processed using Excel and SPSS software (version 21.0).
The results showed that biological waste is the most common type (30%), followed by chemical waste (20%) and pharmaceutical waste (15%). Regarding observed symptoms, the most frequent were headaches (46%), coughing (38%), and chronic fatigue (33%). Analysis of variance revealed no significant difference between the various symptoms, despite the high-risk present in areas with heavy pollution. Respondents across all categories (medical staff, patients, and workers) at the North Kivu General Referral Hospital (83%) are exposed to environmental risks ranging from moderate to high. These results highlight the urgent need to strengthen hospital environmental management capacities through training, infrastructure improvements, and the implementation of waste management protocols that comply with WHO standards These measures are essential to reduce environmental contamination and protect the health of hospital workers, patients, and surrounding communities.
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