Medical Waste Management for Health Facilities in Northern Aleppo

A recently conducted preliminary needs assessment regarding medical waste disposal practices at hospitals in North-West Syria (NWS) revealed major gaps in waste management practices in health facilities. The assessment revealed that practices including medical waste separation, collection, treatment, and disposal are inefficient and inadequate with medical waste being either burned in waste pits, located behind the health facilities, or disposed of in public landfills. These forms of medical waste disposals can include infectious waste, sharp utensil waste, pathological waste, pharmaceutical waste, cytotoxic waste, chemical waste, and radioactive waste which carry higher potential for infection and injury with severe implications to human health and the environment.

To mitigate against the continuation of outmoded medical waste disposal practices, and with the aim to introduce improved technologies that are expected to reduce contamination and health risks, the SRTF will implement: “Medical Waste Management for Health Facilities in Northern Aleppo”.  The project has the following strategic goals:

• Reduction of risks to public health and the environment by improving medical waste disposal practices.
• Introduction of technologically sound facilities for the treatment of medical waste by incineration under high temperature and safe disposal of ash
• Capacity building. Training on the disposal and management of medical waste to health teams and operators in Northern Aleppo.

To accomplish the aforementioned, the following activities will be implemented:

• The establishment of two fully equipped medical waste treatment plants, with a capacity of processing 1000 KG of medical waste at each plant, daily. The two waste management facilities will cover the needs of three districts in targeted areas.
• The establishment of an organized logistical support system for the collection of medical waste from each health facility.
• The establishment of secured waste pits for the disposal of ash by-product produced from incineration.

Additional to implementing alternative forms of waste management, this project also addresses possibilities for implementing solar powered electrical solutions, in applicable cases, to reduce electrical dependency and to ensure more sustainable power solutions moving forward. Each facility will, wherever possible, rely on "green energy" to run the facilities' operations through the installation of a hybrid solar energy system which can eventually also be connected to the grid power network (currently under repair under another SRTF-Funded project being implemented by another IE). As such, this project introduces appropriate technology for the treatment and disposal of medical waste, which is expected to significantly impact public health and the environment. Second, green energy shall reduce fossil fuels, thus contributing to a lower carbon footprint. The planned interventions shall be safe for the environment, humans, animals, and plants.

With a total budget of EUR 1.7 million, and a duration of 18 months, the project is expected to directly benefit around 191,625 of the inpatients and outpatients on an annual basis. Moreover, the employment of health workers within the project area will result in an additional 3,550 direct beneficiaries.  Indirectly, an estimated 1 million of the entire population living in three targeted districts will benefit from the overall controlled public health safety systems, regulations, treatment and disposal practices of medical waste.

For more information on these projects, please visit:

The SRTF Successfully Completes Design and Building Works on Two Medical Waste Incineration Facilities in Northern Aleppo

The SRTF Approves a New Health Project to Mitigate Health Hazards of Medical Waste and its Disposal

For more information on the SRTF visit:

http://www.srtfund.org

Media outlets may contact:

communications@srtfund.org