Improving Healthcare Hazardous Waste Management in Dakhaleya Governorate, Egypt

Medical solid waste represents with 42’000 tons per year the largest production of solid hazardous waste in Egypt. Most of this waste is dumped in uncontrolled landfills and it is estimated that only less than 20% is incinerated. The remaining hospital waste is sterilized or dumped in unsafe landfills in the desert. The present project aims at replacing the decentralized incinerators and treating the remaining healthcare waste produced in the Dakhaleya Governorate by implementing and operating two large, state-of-the-art, incinerators. This project is then aimed to be replicated in other Egyptian Governorates.

Health facility staff and the population of Dakhalia Governorate benefit from an efficiently and sustainably functioning healthcare waste management system and from reduced exposure to hazardous waste and improving public health conditions. The Project shall act as a model case (fully or partly, according to local conditions) for upgrading similar systems in other Egyptian governorates.

Infrastructure: Two incineration facilities are operational and effectively collecting, treating and disposing the healthcare waste generated in Dakhalia Governorate.

Institutional strengthening: Hazardous medical waste in Dakhalia Governorate is effectively managed through a healthcare waste management system in line with the Egyptian National Strategy for Hazardous Medical Waste, as well as with Egyptian and international environmental standards. Institutional and administrative structures are available to efficiently and sustainably operate and maintain the healthcare waste management system.

Policy dialogue: Financial sustainability, technical efficiency and awareness for costs in providing public healthcare waste management services are improved. Experiences are used to improve medical waste management in other Governorates.

Expected results:  

Infrastructure: Two incinerators, appropriate incineration building, a waste collection system and disposal facilities for the incinerators ashes shall be implemented.

Institutional Strengthening: i) A financially and administratively autonomous Collection, Incineration and Disposal Unit (CIDU) shall be created under the Directorate of Health in Dakhalia Governorate- ii) Technical and administrative regulations, guidelines and procedures shall be developed and implemented for a safe hospital waste management- iii) Appropriate staff training on these guidelines and procedures shall be provided.

Policy Dialogue: i) Policy framework conditions to successfully implement the project shall be obtained- ii) the National Strategy on Hazardous Medical Waste Management and related regulations shall be further developed on the basis of this project- iii) A transparent cost monitoring and billing system in order to achieve financial sustainability shall be established, and a business plan elaborated.

Phase 1 01.01.2013 - 31.12.2022   (Completed)