South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund provides USD 907,112 for medical waste management project in Nepal

Project narrative

Through the South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund (SSCAF), China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA) pledged USD 5 million for the "Learning from China's Experience to Improve the Ability of Response to COVID-19 in Asia and the Pacific Region" initiative in 2021. The goal of the project was to strengthen the preparedness and response capacity of the Philippines (Record ID# 96431), Myanmar (Record ID#96973), Cambodia (Record ID#96974), Nepal (Record ID#96975), and Laos (Record ID#96976) and share China’s successful COVID-19 strategies to promote sustainable cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region on COVID-19 response. The total estimated cost of this initiative is USD 11.42 million with United Nations Development Program (UNDP) providing the remaining USD 6.42 million in parallel funding. Nepal received USD 907,112 under this initiative to achieve the following deliverables: - provide 350 healthcare professionals with the required technical skill-set for proper management of healthcare waste; - train 100 officials from the local government on how to best handle health emergencies; - increase the public’s knowledge and preparedness of medical waste management by developing Public Service Announcements in various local languages; - mobilize youth volunteers to conduct an online campaign to raise awareness; - provide hospitals with access to laundry/HCWM treatment; - establish a critical care unit; - procure and install three washing machines, three autoclaves, six weighing machines, and three segregation chambers for 3 polit hospitals. Implementation began on August 6, 2021. The UNDP worked with the Department of Health Services under the Ministry of Health and Population of Government of Nepal and with seven COVID designated hospitals across the country, including Koshi Hospital, Biratnagar; Narayani Hospital, Birgunj; Janakpur Hospital, Janakpurdham; Shree Birendra Hospital, Chhauni; Rapti Provincial Hospital, Tulsipur; and Bheri Hospital, Nepalgunj to implement the project. On September 22, 2021, China and the UNDP handed over medical and waste-management related supplies to the Rapti Provincial Hospital, in Tulsipur, Dang.