In collaboration with the African Society for Laboratory Medicine (ASLM) and the LabCoP community, the CDC International Laboratory Branch (ILB) presented the first session in a series of ECHO sessions dedicated to waste management. In this session we reviewed waste management practices at the country level using the responses to the November 2018 LabCoP Waste Management Questionnaire. In addition, the World Health Organization (WHO) Publication: ‘Safe Management of Wastes from Health-Care Activities’ is introduced, including information about the types of hazardous waste generated, collected, transported and disposed of, treatment options available in-country, and disposal of liquid chemical waste at PEPFAR-supported facilities. This document, developed by WHO in 2017, highlights the key aspects of safe healthcare waste management in order to guide policymakers, practitioners and facility managers to improve such services in healthcare facilities. It is based on the comprehensive WHO handbook ‘Safe Management of Wastes from Health-Care Activities’ (WHO, 2014), and also takes into consideration relevant World Health Assembly resolutions, other United Nations documents, and emerging global and national developments on water, sanitation, hygiene, and infection prevention and control.

Session Video