Waste Service

Report on COVID-19 Vaccine Waste Management Project (Pokhara Metropolitan)

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Report on COVID-19 Vaccine Waste Management Project

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic contain the spread of virus have caused a global economic recession and have also generated an enormous amount of medical waste. Waste generation amid COVID-19, especially discarded PPEs and single-use plastics, has been an environmental and public health crisis around the world particularly in the countries with developing economies. Hence, this project was accelerated for the management of COVID-19 vaccine waste.

Though it was the responsibility of Waste Service Pvt. Ltd. to collect the waste generated Pokhara Metropolitan City also coordinated with Waste Sevice Pvt. Ltd.

 COVID-19 Vaccine Waste Management Project of Waste Service Pvt. Ltd. working in Public-Private Partnership (PPP) with Pokhara Metropolitan City to provide a complete health care waste management solution. 

Objectives of Project

• To safely transfer the sharp waste from the common vaccination waste storage sites for COVID-19 to the common treatment facility of Pokhara Metropolitan City.
• To sterilize and dispose of the sharp waste collected from the common vaccination waste storage sites for COVID-19.

Location and Duration

COVID Waste Management project lasted for 1 month from Baishakh 10 to Jestha 10, 2079.

33 wards were covered for COVID-19 Waste Management to collect the waste from immunization centers in Pokhara Metropolitan City. 40 immunization center in 33 wards were the pickup points of the waste. A total of 6810 KG of waste was collected.

Immunization centers of Pokhara Metropolitan City were:

S.N	Name of Organization	Ward No.
1.	Urban Health Clinic	12
2.	Urban Health Clinic	13
3.	Urban Health Clinic	1
4.	Urban Health Clinic	2
5.	Urban Health Clinic	3
6.	Urban Health Clinic	4
7.	Urban Health Clinic	7
8.	Urban Health Clinic	9
9.	Urban Health Clinic	10
10.	Urban Health Clinic	15
11.	Urban Health Clinic	17
12.	Urban Health Clinic	8
13.	Urban Health Clinic	5
14.	Urban Health Clinic	14
15.	Ward Office	11
16.	Ward Office	6
17.	Sisuwa Hospital	30
18.	Infectious and Communicable Disease Hospital	30
19.	Urban Health Clinic	30
20.	Urban Health Clinic (Durgamandir)	32
21.	Urban Health Clinic (Malepatan)	32
22.	Urban Health Clinic (Tallogagangauda)	32
23.	Urban Health Clinic	29
24.	Armala PHC	16
25.	Sarangkot HP	18
26.	Urban Health Clinic	31
27.	Urban Health Clinic	33
28.	Bharatpokhari Health Post	33
29.	Nirmal Pokhari Health Post	21
30.	Chapalot HP	23
31.	Urban Health Clinic	19
32.	Tallakot HP	19
33.	Bhalam HP	20
34.	Mauja HP	20
35.	Kalika HP	28
36.	Majhthana HP	28
37.	Rakhi HP	26
38.	Leknath HP	27
39.	Kristi PHC	21
40.	Pokhara HP	22

Methodology is broken down in three phases:

• Preparation Phase
• Implementation Phase
• Reporting Phase

Preparation Phase:

• Meeting with partners and review of documents.

Implementation Phase:

• Development of Standard Operating Procedures (SOP)
• Observation / Field Visits
• Transportation of collected waste
• Resource persons were fully immunized and full PPE were used to handle waste.
• Temporary Storage
• Sterilization of the sharp waste
• Segregation of the sharp waste
• Disposal of needles 
• Recycling of syringes 

Reporting Phase:

Final report was submitted to Department of Health, Health Office, Kaski and Pokhara Metropolitan City after the completion of the project. 

Outputs of the Project:

• A total of 6,810 kg of COVID-19 vaccine waste was collected from 40 immunization center in 33 wards of Pokhara Metropolitan City. 
• Fully immunized personnel with full PPE were mobilized to collect the vaccine wastes. 
• Autoclaving was done in treatment center and segregation followed by recycling was done after autoclaving of the waste. 
• Sharp waste such as needles of the syringes are first autoclaved, encapsulated and sent to landfill. Sharp waste need to be carefully handled. 

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