UNDP delivered autoclave for medical waste disposal to Nur-Sultan hospital

NUR-SULTAN. KAZINFORM On August 25 the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) officially handed over the equipment for treatment of infectious waste (an autoclave) and containers for safe waste collection to the Nur-Sultan City Centre of Phthisiopulmonology, which had been redesigned to serve patients with COVID-19.

The initiative is implemented as part of the joint project of UNDP and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) which aims to strengthen national public health emergency preparedness, focusing on medical waste management system in the hospitals. Globally, UNDP has supported 88 governments to procure personal protective equipment and medical commodities worth over $80 million, the official website of UNDP in Kazakhstan reads.

«We are glad to support Kazakhstan in integrating sound waste management practices and technologies to accelerate sustainable and resilient recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Protecting people and rebuilding better are at core of our new partnership initiative with ADB,» said Yakup Beris, UNDP Resident Representative in Kazakhstan.

With the onset of COVID-19 pandemic the volume of medical waste has sharply increased. According to the World Health Organization, almost 80 percent of all waste generated in medical institutions is solid based. The remaining 20 percent is hazardous and can be infectious, toxic or radioactive. Immediate disposal of medical waste inside hospitals can prevent the spread of an infection outside of the premises and decrease COVID-19 cases among health workers.