TCAS: Tacis Cities Award Scheme

Institutional Management of the Health-care Waste in Batumi and Kobuleti cities

April 14, 2008

Batumi is a Capital of Adjara Autonomous Republic _ the prettiest region of Georgia, which makes its income from sea-side tourism. More than million tourists are served here every year. Understandably medical institutions are of crucial necessity. Most of them are located in Batumi and its surroundings.

The overall objective of the project was to contribute to the protection of environment and the health of inhabitants of Batumi and tourists from medical-waste-caused pollution and spreadout of infectious diseases. The project intended to achieve this by establishing safe collection and treatment system of the medical waste in Batumi and surrounding towns and villages.

All 45 medical institutions of the AR were covered by the project. Medical waste has been classified and detailed inventories carried out. For each institution waste management plans were developed. Each institution was requested to nominate a waste management authority and all of them were trained by the hired experts in implementation of the waste management plans and their regular update as necessary. All the remaining personnel of the medical institutions were instructed and received awareness-raising materials on safe handling of medical waste and separation of its hazardous fraction.

It was the first time in Georgia that medical personnel waste taught that dangerous medical waste should not be handled in a way the usual waste is done. That already at the site it should be placed in the container where it should stay untouched until it is burnt in a special incinerator. The project provided for 1200 such disposable micro containers which will ensure stable functioning of dangerous medical waste collection in all medical institutions of Adjara for 2 years. A special regulation was adopted to oblige all medical institutions to ensure stable supply of those containers when the EU gift ends up. Batumi municipal service was equipped with a special car which collects the containers as they fill up and transports them safely to the treatment facility, which was also established by the project. This is a special building at the city landfill where a special incinerating device for medical wastes has been installed. EIA was carried out to ensure environmental safety of the incineration and environmental permit for installation has been received.

Medical waste does not contain dangerous fraction only. The project also took care of the non-dangerous medical wastes by provision of 300 units of 240 l capacity containers to all departments of the medical institutions and equipping the Batumi municipal service with a vehicle for collection of municipal waste from those containers. This fraction of waste is not dangerous and it will be landfilled in usual way.

It should be mentioned that there were some problems with the project implementation which should be taken into account in future similar projects: the tender for purchase of equipment failed and should have been announced two more times before the suppliers appear. Lack of experience of the municipality in international purchasing played a central role in this problem. And assistance from the Environmental department appeared to be crucial to make contacts with different suppliers of the equipment, conduct the fair selection process and to finally receive the equipment in-time.
Despite the described difficulties the results of the project are impressive: first time in Georgia the modern system of medical waste handling and treatment is established. And everything is in-place to ensure its stable functioning. Namely, the sustainability of the system is guaranteed by the established legal obligations of medical institutions and municipal services to ensure proper handling, collection, transportation and treatment of the medical waste. Adjara AR government Environmental Department has monitored it and regularly report to the society on results.

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