Mauritius has signed a Memorandum of Understanding for setting up a National Healthcare Waste Disposal Facility as part of the implementation of the Sustainable Low and non-Chemical Development in Small Island Developing States SIDS (ISLANDS) project.
The project was led by the Ministry of Environment, Solid Waste Management, and Climate Change with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
This information was disclosed in a Press Release from the office of The Mauritius Ministry of Health and Wellness.
It read that; “The key components of the project are a feasibility study for the setting up of a centralized treatment facility for the treatment of healthcare wastes and the construction of the facility would be subsequently considered based on the recommendations of the feasibility report which would be prepared under the ISLANDS project. The Global Environment Facility is providing financing to the tune of 4.05 million US dollars for the project.
“Out of the 4.05 million US Dollars in grant funding by the Global Environment Facility, 1.39 million US Dollars has been secured for the Ministry of Health, the Ministry is also providing a co-financing to the tune of 925,000 US Dollars towards the project as both in kind and in cash contribution”.
The project activities span a five-year period, which will include carrying out a feasibility study for a centralized treatment facility for healthcare waste; conducting an environment and social impact assessment as well as a management plan; providing technical assistance and capacity building to support the construction and operation of the treatment facility; developing policies and regulations to ensure the long-term sustainability of the project; and providing gender-responsive training to staff on improved waste management practices.
“The project activity will impart gender-responsive training to Health Care facility staff on improved waste management practices. These will include the identification of the different types of waste, the categories in which they must be segregated, and the containers in which the different categories of waste must be stored, amongst others.
“Under this project, the Mauritius Network Services system would also be improved to include an interface that is user-friendly, such that individuals or companies seeking approval from the Dangerous Chemicals Board can input the types and quantities of chemicals being imported” the press release stated further.
Also present on the signing occasion, the UNDP Resident Representative for Mauritius and Seychelles, Ms Amanda Serumaga, said that the UNDP seeks to contribute to building a resilient and sustainable health system and accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. She emphasized that the UNDP remains at the forefront to support countries to deal with mounting healthcare issues.
Serumaga noted that for Mauritius, the project has been designed to protect human health and the environment from the harmful effects of a waste considering the specificities of the country.
The Sustainable Low and non-Chemical Development in SIDS (ISLANDS) project in Mauritius is part of the “Indian Ocean Regional Project” implemented by the respective governments of four Small Island Developing States (SIDS) namely Union of Comoros, Maldives, Mauritius, and Seychelles.
