Biomedical Waste Management in the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Report
Under the Caribbean Cooperation in Health Phase Two, Biomedical Waste Management has been identified as a priority issue for the region. In 2007, Forde, a WINDREF Research Fellow and Professor within the Department of Public Health & Preventive Medicine at St. George's University, obtained a small grant from the Pan American Health and Education Foundation to do a situational audit of the current status of biomedical waste management practices in the Eastern Caribbean islands. All nine Caribbean islands that form the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) were visited and data collected.
The overarching goal of this situational audit was to provide a clear picture of biomedical waste (BMW) management practices in member countries of the OECS. This goal was achieved by meeting the following project objectives:
- Conducting an assessment of existing biomedical waste management practices at all major health care facilities in each OECS country
- Reviewing what legislation, if any, exists that addresses issues connected with proper handling and disposal of biomedical waste
- After consultation with all stakeholders, proposing a unified color-coding scheme that could be adopted by all OECS countries
- Proposing a standardized BMW management-training program for health care personnel in the OECS.
A complete copy of this report can be downloaded by clicking on the link shown below.
Biomedical Waste Management of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States