A Cleaner Future: How Eswatini is Changing Medical Waste Management – Stories

The facility, which is now operational, was inbuilt just 11 months, replacing a patchwork of 19 outdated incinerators and the costly practice of exporting medical waste.

This recent, centralized facility can process 330 kilograms of waste per hour, which is roughly 75% of the whole amount of medical waste generated within the country per day.

It was also built to the most recent best practice standards, featuring state-of-the-art emissions controls and enhanced systems for the separation and protected, controlled storage of medical waste.

The project was designed with long-term impact in mind.

Along with investments in the ability itself, recent vehicles for waste transport were purchased, and old incineration plants that didn’t meet the necessities are being closed down. The recent facility will enable more accurate data collection in the longer term and facilitate the operation of the waste tracking system.

The Ministry of Health has introduced a transparent financing model to make sure that the ability shall be state-owned and managed in a sustainable manner to guard this investment over time.

The model for collecting and safely managing medical waste has been developed in partnership with UNICEF, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the Global Fund, which goals to strengthen country-led waste management.

All financing for the brand new Eswatini facility was provided by the Global Fund, with technical support from Mott MacDonald and Roche Diagnostics.

To date, the Global Fund has invested $84 million to strengthen waste management systems and facilities in 43 countries all over the world.

As in Eswatini, these investments offer greater than just recent infrastructure: they represent sustainable, cost-effective solutions that strengthen health systems, protect communities and deliver lasting value for people and the planet.