Handover of Healthcare Waste Management Facilities, Equipment, and Vehicles

December 3, 2025 – The Ministry of Health, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in the Maldives, supported by the Government of Japan today marked a key milestone in strengthening healthcare waste management systems across the Maldives, with the official handover of new facilities, clean-energy vehicles, and essential equipment.

The handover ceremony held in Kaafu Dhiffushi marks the culmination of The Project for the Improvement of Infectious Waste Management in Southwest Asia, a USD 4.4 million initiative funded by the Government of Japan and implemented by the UNDP from 2022–2025. The project aims to enhance safe, sustainable, and gender-responsive healthcare waste management for better protection of human and environmental health.

Project Achievements

• 21 healthcare waste management facilities constructed nationwide, including the new Dhiffushi facility.
• Autoclaves installed at Thuraakunu and Thakandhoo health centres.
• 65 electric tricycles delivered to support safe, clean-energy waste transport.
• 656 healthcare workers trained (90% of them women), in partnership with WHO.
• Digital upgrades delivered, including 270 computers and 40 network switches to strengthen a national digitalized waste management system.
• Additional health service equipment, including ECG machines and autoclaves, procured to support service continuity.

At the ceremony, remarks were delivered by Minister of Health Honourable Abdulla Nazim Ibrahim, Ambassador of Japan H.E. Ishigami Rumiko, and UNDP Resident Representative Adnan Cheema, who reaffirmed the shared commitment to strengthening resilient and environmentally sustainable health systems.

Participants toured the newly completed Dhiffushi Healthcare Waste Management Building and viewed the electric vehicles and equipment now supporting safer, more efficient waste handling across islands.

The Ministry of Health, UNDP, and the Government of Japan remain committed to advancing a cleaner, safer, and more resilient healthcare system for communities across the Maldives.