Be'ah Efforts in Healthcare Waste Management
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be’ah Efforts in Healthcare Waste Management be’ah Efforts in Healthcare Waste Management His Majesty His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Sultan Qaboos Bin Said May Allah protect him May Allah rest his Soul in peace 3 4 Table of Contents Introduction 5 CEO’s Message 6 1 Institutions benefitting from the collection, transportation and treatment of health- 8 care waste services by sectors 2 Private healthcare institutions (Clinics & Medical Complexes) 9 3 Total amount of healthcare waste treated from 2012 to 2018 10 4 Treatment and disposal technologies of healthcare waste 11 5 Healthcare waste treatment in Al Amarat Treatment Facility 15 6 Healthcare waste treatment in Liwa Treatment Facility 17 7 Healthcare Waste treatment in Thumrait Treatment Facility 17 8 Ministry of Health 18 9 Department of Agriculture and Fisheries 23 Financial Independence 24 At the level of secondary and tertiary healthcare institutions 24 Company’s Achievements 25 Introduction An environmental study recently revealed the annual production rate of healthcare waste throughout the Sultanate that amounts to about 4,500 tons, with Muscat Governorate generating the bulk of the wastes as it is home to a large number of reference and specialized hospitals, in addition to private healthcare institutions, followed by the North & South Al Batinah Governorates, Al Dakhiliyah and Dhofar at similar rates. Although the company has, since its foundation, pursued a policy of laying down the infrastructure, which can serve as a foundation for transforming waste management in the country; it only took over the management of the healthcare waste sector on January 1, 2012, after the administration of the sector has been transferred from the Ministry of Health to be’ah. Since then, the company has enacted and put in place ambitious plan to manage healthcare waste treatment facilities in Oman, including expansion strategies to service a broader customer base by increasing the capacity of the healthcare waste treatment facility at Al Amarat State in Muscat Governorate, and inaugurating two treatment Facilities at Liwa State, North Al Batinah Governorate, and Thumrait State in Dhofar Governorate, as part of a strategic plan to cover all the regions of the Sultanate in 2018. The company followed the management policy on a commercial basis, in order to support the company's operating income and reduce government support, which is considered to be one of the company's most efficient policies. In addition, reasonable prices have been set for all beneficiaries of the service in proportion to the size and work nature of these government and private institutions, in addition to the amount of waste they produce. In this light, the company, represented by the Healthcare Waste Facility, expanded the scope of the service and started reaping the benefits, covering all government and private health institutions under the Ministry of Health as well as health institutions under government military agencies, security and civil authorities such as the Ministry of Defense, the Royal Oman Police, Diwan of Royal Court, Diwan Of Royal Court Affairs, Sultan Qaboos University and the Public Authority for Water across all provinces of Oman, thus, the Healthcare Waste Treatment Facility covers approximately 99.9% of the total waste output of healthcare institutions all over The Sultanate. In 2020, the company seeks to cover healthcare waste generated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and the Ministry Of Regional Municipal And Water Resources, which accounts for 1.1% of the total healthcare waste produced in Oman. 5 6 CEO’s Message Since its inception, be’ah has played a prominent role in implementing the National Strategy of waste management; particularly healthcare waste. Since the company took over the management of healthcare waste treatment in 2012 from the Ministry of Health, be’ah has continued its commitment to achieving long-term economic value and sustainability of its operations, making enormous efforts to improve the infrastructure and operational efficiency of healthcare waste treatment facilities across Oman. We have made significant progress in our strategic agenda over the years, and have developed a clear vision of our objectives guided by the National Strategy adopted to manage Oman's healthcare waste sector. Likewise, we have succeeded in providing services to all government and private health institutions by more than 99% across Oman’s provinces. We have also established three main facilities sprawling across prime locations for the treatment of healthcare waste, bringing about the latest international standards and technologies to ensure safe disposal of healthcare waste. This milestone is the result of our commitment to protecting the environment by eliminating unplanned disposal and management of healthcare waste in accordance with the latest international practices and standards. be’ah recognizes the importance of continuous communication with all public and private stakeholders in the field of healthcare and commends the efforts of all government agencies concerned, particularly the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs in supporting the management of this type of waste. Hence, be’ah will continue to work closely with all stakeholders in implementing its strategy in order to expand its services in all medical and health sectors across the Sultanate; providing the necessary training to improve the level of service and ensure environmental sustainability. It should also be noted that these achievements would not have been realized without the efforts of our employees and their positive interaction with development and training initiatives, which contributed to the success in achieving the company's goals. We are also proud to achieve a high level of Omanization with most of the key positions occupied by Omani employees who have proven to be highly competent in achieving outstanding successes at all levels. In conclusion and above all, we would like to express our gratitude to His Late Highness Sultan Qaboos bin Said (may his soul rest in peace) as we recall his good will and his great vision in prioritizing environment and its management and placing it at the top of the ladder by granting be’ah the legal formula that enables it to accomplish this success. be’ah started its journey during the reign of His Late Highness (may God rest his soul) and took the responsibility of fulfilling the aspirations of citizens and residents of the good land of Oman within this significant sector, committing itself to proceeding at a rapid pace during the auspicious era of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tariq and pledges to spare no effort in preserving the environment and sustaining its resources for future generations within the scope of its responsibilities and powers. I invite you to read through this report which addresses the most significant efforts and achievements we have made in the field of waste management so far, as well as a full summary of our operations at our service facilities. 7 8 1) Institutions benefiting from the collection, handling, transportation and treatment of healthcare waste service by sectors The total number of healthcare institutions in the Sultanate covered under the service until the fourth quarter of 2019 was 1,477, as illustrated below: Number Of Health Organization Institutions Covered Percentage Under The Service Government Health Institutions of The 284 19% Ministry Of Health Health Institutions of Other Government 57 4% Agencies Private Health Institutions (Private 1,103 75% Hospitals & Small Clinics) Private Pharmacies 33 2% Total 1,477 Table (1) 2) Private healthcare institutions (Clinics & Medical Complexes The company has made prompt efforts in order to be able to provide its services to private clinics and medical complexes through continuous coordination with all relevant departments in the Ministry of Health, so that all private clinics operating in Oman are obliged to conclude contracts with be’ah for the treatment of healthcare waste. The company has succeeded in concluding 1,062 contracts with all private clinics and medical complexes spread across the provinces of Oman until the end of the fourth quarter of 2019, as described below: Number Of Contracts Province Concluded Until The End Percentage Of 2019 Muscat 479 45% South Al Batinah 68 6% North Al Batinah 156 15% South Al Sharqiyah 32 3% North Al Sharqiyah 36 3% Al Dakhiliyah 82 8% Dhofar 78 7% Ad Dhahirah 71 7% Al Wusta 23 3% Al Buraimi 31 2% Musandam 6 1% Total 1,062 Table (2) 9 10 Number of contracts concluded until the end of 2019 Al Buraimi 3% Al Wusta Musandam 2% 1% Ad Dhahirah 7% Dhofar 7% Al Dakhiliyah Muscat 8% 45% North Al Sharqiyah 3% South Al Sharqiyah 3% North Al Batinah South Al Batinah 15% 6% 3) Total amount of treated healthcare waste from 2012 to 2018 Total amount of treated waste from 2012 to 2019 was 23,432.38 tons; the graph displays the amount of waste treated annually. Thumrait facility was operated in August 2016 Musandam and Al Buraimi provinces have been added to Al Liwa facility was oper- the service ated in August 2016 ٩ 201 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 4,300.81 4,218.48 4,260.65 4,161.67 2,463.31 1,709.35 1,299.66 1,018.63 4) Treatment and disposal technologies for healthcare waste At first, be’ah introduced the sterilization treatment process through (Autoclave) in Oman in 2015, which relies on reducing reliance on the thermal treatment mechanism (incineration) in handling healthcare waste as it is environmentally