Development of a National Medical Waste Management Plan in Cape Verde

Low and middle income countries face substantial challenges with regard to the proper management of hospital waste. The amount of this waste increases due to population growth and the expansion of health service systems and the situation is also aggravated by the lack of adequate technological and financial resources to ensure proper management. For these reasons, Cape Verde developed the National Plan for Hospital Waste Management 2013-2016, where an analysis of the country's current situation was conducted, and strategic guidelines were defined in relation to hospital waste management.

Project Facts

Project Period: January 2020 - February 2021
Customer: The Global Fund
Country: Cape Verde

Project details

Policy Evaluation

The medical waste framework law, regional policies, related local authorities, and other stakeholders were evaluated to provide a gap analysis and improvement recommendations using international standards as a benchmark but focusing on the content. A strategy paper was developed recommending amendments and corrections to the current national medical waste management plan.

Auditing

Information was gathered for the medical waste management plan based on Q&A rounds and audit surveys of health units. Brief recommendation reports were then developed for each unit, including status quo and optimization measures.

Training

330 technicians were trained in medical waste management systems, medical waste treatment & disposal technologies to increase capacity and improve the overall situation.