Gedaref, Sudan – The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), with funding from the Global Fund’s COVID-19 Response Mechanism, has established two heavy-duty medical waste treatment and incineration facilities in Northern and Gedaref States as part of a combined investment of approximately USD 5 million to strengthen the safe management of healthcare waste across the country.

The investment comes at a critical moment for Sudan’s health system, where the destruction of health facilities, population displacement and supply-chain challenges have left 21 million people without access to healthcare. Millions are also exposed to the risk of disease and injury from poorly disposed medical waste.

In Gedaref, the incinerator and supporting infrastructure can deal with 0.5 tonnes of medical waste per hour, making it possible to serve healthcare waste treatment needs across Gedaref and neighbouring states, supported by a dedicated State Waste Management Plan setting out a framework for coordinated waste management. In Dongola, the facility provides the same high-capacity treatment platform for Northern State and the surrounding region.

The intervention is key part of an integrated healthcare waste management system, combining treatment infrastructure with dedicated waste collection and transportation. This includes a refrigerated waste transportation truck supporting the Gedaref facility, as well as safe temporary storage, comprehensive waste-management planning and structured capacity building for health authorities, facilities and personnel.

Three rounds of targeted training will cover healthcare waste management, including the segregation, handling, collection, storage and transportation of waste; compliance monitoring for the Healthcare Waste Management Plan; and the operation and management of heavy-duty incinerators.

With these facilities in place, both states are now better able to protect health workers, patients and communities from the risks of medical waste.

“This is an investment in far more than incinerators – it is an investment in safer healthcare and stronger communities,” said Surayo Buzurukova, UNDP Sudan Deputy Resident Representative for Programmes. “By pairing high-capacity treatment infrastructure with transport, storage and long-term management planning, we are helping Sudan build healthcare waste management capacity of its own that will serve Northern and Eastern Sudan for years to come.”

NOTES TO EDITORS

For more information, contact:

Abdullah Ismail, UNDP Sudan, Communications Analyst, abdullah.ismail@undp.org (mobile and WhatsApp +249 96 060 1747)