Gov’t displays efforts in medical waste management amid COVID-19 pandemic

CAIRO – 12 May 2020: Minister of Environment Yasmine Fouad presented a report on the ministry’s strategy to combat coronavirus from March 31 until present time.

The strategy, according to a statement released by the ministry, includes four main pillars, which are: Efforts for safe disposal of medical waste, a system for dealing with solid waste, monitoring how the environmental system deals with pollution hotspots and environmental awareness.

Minister Yasmine Fouad said that the ministry has checked 1,537 medical facilities to follow up the medical waste management system and safe disposal, adding that the process is being followed by assigned committees in coordination with health directorates and university hospitals.

Fouad emphasized continuous coordination with the ministers of health, population, and higher education and scientific research to implement the policy of correct sorting of waste inside hospitals to reduce the amount of waste produced and safely manage it.

"A total of 68 employees at Health Ministry were trained on the safe disposal mechanism," she said.

She further added that the ministry is coordinating with the ministries of tourism, and sports and youths to manage waste disposal at cities housing students and youths, and hotels allocated to be quarantine.

Regarding solid waste, the ministry has intensified works to control trash lots in Cairo and Giza, and removed a total of 224,881 tons of solid waste and safely disposed it.