Hospital Waste Management Compliance Among Private Healthcare Facilities in Lagos State, South West Nigeria

The exponential growth of private healthcare facilities in Lagos State has introduced significant challenges for healthcare waste management compliance, given limited regulatory enforcement and variable institutional capacity. This study assesses healthcare waste management compliance among private healthcare facilities in Lagos State, examining adherence to Nigeria's National Healthcare Waste Management Policy and the Lagos State Health Facility Monitoring and Accreditation Agency standards. A cross-sectional audit design is applied to 85 private healthcare facilities selected through stratified random sampling from Lagos Island, Lagos Mainland, and Eti-Osa local government areas. An observation checklist adapted from WHO healthcare waste assessment tools and key informant interviews with facility waste management officers assess segregation practices, treatment methods, disposal routes, and staff training levels. Data are analysed using descriptive statistics and chi-square tests in SPSS. Available audit data from Lagos State HEFAMAA 2022 indicate that fewer than 50 percent of audited private facilities fully comply with clinical waste segregation requirements, with improper sharps disposal and unregulated autoclave use as recurrent violations. The Policy Implementation Gap framework provides the conceptual basis for analysing regulatory compliance shortfalls. Findings will guide HEFAMAA in prioritising compliance monitoring, facility-level training, and penalty enforcement. Keywords: healthcare waste management, compliance, private healthcare, Lagos State, regulatory enforcement.