Project Partner UNDP Nepal
Project Location Nepal
Project Duration May 2022 to Jun 2022
Description Since the dawn of the COVID-19 outbreak, human lives have been disrupted that gave way to disorderly waste management system. The public’s focus has completely shifted to protecting themselves from the pandemic, and rightfully so. However, it has led to a massive increase in the volume of waste generated at both municipal and hospital level. Gargantuan heaps of masks, gloves and syringes have been dispensed every single day everywhere. These medical wastes are quite hazardous in nature, but the public is oblivious to the potential threats from these infectious wastes and are indifferently disposing the waste. Proper waste management is one of the key sanitary barriers for containment of the virus. Awareness of the communities and the key players is a very crucial aspect to achieve proper management of the wastes. UNDP Nepal under its COVID recovery effort, works with selected municipalities and selected healthcare facilities intending to strengthen their capacities in safe management of the municipal solid waste along with the potentially hazardous healthcare waste through implementation of various activities under the Promoting Green Recovery Project (PGRP).
The healthcare system is a vital part of the country's infrastructure, and it is administered by a range of governmental and non-governmental organizations. Adequate and properly managed health care waste is the key to ensuring quality care which significantly lowers the risk for patients and their families, healthcare workers, and surrounding communities. The health system deals with many diseases crises, but there is an emerging problem of poor health care waste management (HCWM) that has been neglected. Mismanagement of Health Care Waste (HCW) poses a significant risk of illness and contamination to the environment. Because health care wastes affect waste generators, waste handlers and the general public, so they should be taken seriously and properly handled.
The project aims at delivering HCWM training to the selected seven hospitals of Nepal under the Promoting Green Recovery Project, viz. Koshi Hospital (Biratnagar), Shree Birendra Hospital (Kathmandu), Provincial Hospital Surkhet (Birendranagar), Rapti Provincial Hospital (Tulsipur), Bheri Hospital (Nepalgunj), Narayani Hospital (Birgunj), and Janakpur Hospital (Janakpurdham). The holistic training encompasses all three levels of the hospitals’ faculties comprising the medical personnel, the managerial personnel and the support staff. Training modules have been developed by the PGRP team and will be disseminated on-site by the team of trainers.
The objectives of the project are:
- To train the healthcare staff on HCWM system and improved practices;
- To support the healthcare facilities in better understanding of the HCWM implementation process;
- To sensitize the municipal staffs on HCWM system and improved practices;
- To share experiences from China on HCWM during COVID-19.