Japan and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have launched a new project to support the national health agencies and other key stakeholders in Bangladesh, Bhutan and the Maldives to establish sustainable solutions for health care waste management.
There has been an unprecedented rise in infectious health care waste caused by the Covid-19 pandemic that is overwhelming waste treatment facilities.
The two-year $11 million 'Project for the Improvement of Infectious Waste Management' was officially launched on Wednesday at a signing ceremony in New York City, according to a statement.
Ambassador Takeshi Osuga, Deputy Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations, and Kanni Wignaraja, Assistant Administrator and Director of the Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific at UNDP, were present at the event.
"The government of Japan is proud to support Bangladesh, Bhutan and the Maldives to establish sustainable solutions for health care waste management that will provide long-term benefits for health care workers, patients and the wider community as well as contribute to protecting human security," said the Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations.
Improperly managed health care waste is recognized as a significant source of pollutants. Disposing untreated health care waste in open dumps and landfill sites can cause soil and water contamination while inadequate incineration of medical waste can lead to the release of persistent organic pollutants, the statement said.
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