News - Jan 31, 2023 Improvements Underway for the Safe Management of Healthcare Waste in Timor Leste

An incinerator expert commenced on ground project action in January 2023 assessing, non-working incinerators, and other incinerator facilities at the Baucau Referral Hospital, Suai Referral Hospital, and Maubisses Referral Hospital.  This work is being done through SPREP as part of the European Union funded PacWastePlus program investment in Timor Leste.

The expert is determining the repair requirements needed for these incinerators and will prepare scopes of work for those needed repairs. Individual reports will be prepared for each hospital to directly inform the scope of works to be included in repair tenders for each incinerator.

In addition, a draft national Healthcare Waste Management (HCWM) strategy has been developed to complement the current Timor Leste National Health Sector Strategic Plan 2011-2030.  Consultations with relevant Timor Leste stakeholders began in January 2023 to ensure the strategy is well formulated to meet the needs of the Timor Leste health care community.

Planning is underway to address waste management issues at Baucau Referral Hospital through construction of efficient and environmentally appropriate pilot scale disposal facilities.

The programme has also progressed funding allocation and a contractor hired to revise the initial PacWaste programmes modular healthcare waste management training for healthcare waste workers. The training, consisting of eight separate training modules, will build upon the skills and capacity of healthcare workers to properly and safely handle infections wastes from collection to segregation to final disposal.