UNIDO – Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab

INTRODUCTION

The UNIDO project is aimed at implementing ‘environmentally sound management of medical wastes in India’ with a particular emphasis on reducing in Polychlorinated Dibenzo-Dioxin (PCDD) and Polychlorinated Dibenzo-Furan (PCDF). The project was designed by Ramaiah Group to target and setup a medical waste management information system at grassroot level in the five participating states of Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Punjab by providing model healthcare facilities, strengthening enforcement, and capacity building.

PARTNERSHIPS

The project was headed by the Ramaiah Group in collaboration with various stakeholders in each State, which include NGOs, the Common Biomedical Waste Treatment Facility (CBWTF), Indian Medical Association (IMA), and the State Nodal Officer (SNO) or State Technical Assistant (STA).

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The Ramaiah group recognised and initiated the project under three components.

COMPONENT ONE

The first component was focused on assessing training needs, identifying areas of concerns as well as requirements for institutional and technical capacity building at various levels of large, medium and small healthcare facilities in the five participating states. This component also focused on identifying the target population for awareness-raising campaigns and identifying experts and institutions in the field of medical waste management to develop appropriate training materials and conduct training.

COMPONENT TWO

The second component comprised activities like developing standard operating procedures and best practices and finalizing them in the form of booklets, developing mechanisms to monitor and improve these SOPs constantly, and producing explanatory guides for healthcare workers to bring in attitudinal changes.

COMPONENT THREE

The third component included preparing the action plan for conducting training and capacity building programs, developing evaluation frameworks for constant assessment of training modules, organizing Training of Trainers (ToT), and monitor the awareness activities implemented in each of the five states.

OUTCOMES

Developed state-specific strategies in medical waste management
Established model CBWTFs
Improved logistics
Created a medical waste management information system
Set up systems for technology transfer
Enhanced local manufacturing capacities