Haa Alif Atoll Welcomes First Medical Waste Management Facility

A dedicated medical waste management facility has been established at Baarah Health Centre in Haa Alif Atoll, marking a significant milestone as the first such facility outside the capital. This initiative is part of the Eliminating Persistent Organic Pollutants Through Sound Management of Chemicals (POPS) project, run by the Ministry of Climate Change, Environment and Energy in collaboration with UNDP, supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

The facility was officially handed over to the Health Ministry during a ceremony last Thursday, attended by Environment Minister Thoriq Ibrahim, Health Minister Abdulla Nazim Ibrahim, and Baarah MP Ibrahim Shujau.

In addition to the medical waste facility, an agreement was signed for the handover of an Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (ICP MS) machine. This machine will allow for testing sediment levels in water and soil, as well as detecting heavy metals in blood, such as mercury, cadmium, and lead. It will also assist in assessing air pollution levels that can impact public health.

Under the POPS Project, further initiatives are planned, including an Interim Hazard Chemical Waste Storage Facility in Addu and a Hazardous Chemical and Waste Management System in Raa Atoll Vandhoo.