Projects
Technical Assistance for Healthcare Waste Management, Serbia-EuropeAid/124313/D/SER/YU-Consortium with Grontmij | Carl Bro A/S, Denmark, European Health Group, EHG, Denmark
Project short name: SER-01-01
Time frame: 07/2007 - ongoing
Country: Serbia
Region: Belgrade
Client: European Agency for Reconstruction (EAR)
Project description:
Healthcare waste in Serbia is inadequately disposed of and there is no proper waste treatment facility nor disposal point. Therefore, it poses significant health and hygienic risks to health care workers, staff, patients and persons engaged in the collection, storage and disposal of healthcare waste. The inadequate management of healthcare waste is also a source of environmental pollution. The majority of healthcare facilities do not perform segregation of healthcare waste. Sharp utensils may be contaminated and as such, if not properly treated, pose a significant epidemiological risk. In most cases these are disposed in empty plastic bottles, formerly used for saline solutions or soft drinks and filled with disinfectants. Only a small number of healthcare facilities perform sterilization of such waste, most frequently in autoclaves which are very old. After sterilization, sharps are placed in ordinary containers for municipal waste. Used needles and syringes, cotton balls, dressings, etc. are mixed with household municipal waste. All infectious healthcare waste is transported to an official landfill for municipal waste. Improper handling of healthcare waste may act as a vector for infectious disease transmission.
The project aims to develop an effective and efficient system for the collection, storage, treatment and disposal of healthcare waste in accordance with Serbian requirements and EU directives. The assistance will be provided through: the support to the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Environmental Protection to develop healthcare waste management regulation, draft a comprehensive management strategy, a national guideline document, for collection, storage and treatment of healthcare waste in accordance with the requirements of legislation and the relevant EU-directives; support to the health facilities in the preparation of their waste management plans; support to effective and efficient use of waste disposal equipment in hospitals through capacity building measures; support to an information and awareness programme for the professional community, on health-, safety-, and environmental issues in relation to healthcare waste.
Services provided by ETLog Health EnviroTech & Logistics:
- Development of Legal framework governing healthcare waste management;
- National Guideline defined for healthcare waste management in accordance with the National Waste Management Strategy, new draft Law on Waste Management, and draft National Environmental Strategy in accordance with EU directives and legislation;
- Efficient and effective implementation waste management including separate collection, storage, transport, treatment and disposal of healthcare waste (waste management);
- Successful awareness campaign organized and implemented on healthcare waste management for medical/pharmaceutical/non-medical staff and the Ministry of Health;
- Knowledge, skills and capacities transferred to relevant staff in the Ministry of Health and hospital staff trained for healthcare waste management;
- Hospital and other healthcare waste management in compliance with the EU standards.