UAE | Health
Dubai inaugurates massive, environment-friendly medical waste incinerator
A massive medical and hazardous waste treatment plant, the world’s second of its kind, was inaugurated on Wednesday and officials hinted that it could be used by other emirates in the future.
- By Mahmood Saberi, Senior Reporter
- Published: 12:03 June 10, 2009
Dubai: A massive medical and hazardous waste treatment plant, the world's second of its kind, was inaugurated on Wednesday and officials hinted that it could be used by other emirates in the future.
Dubai hospitals and clinics generate about six tonnes of medical waste every day, but that is likely to increase with the increasing facilities at the HealthCare City, officials said.
The plant is located at Dubai Municipality's waste treatment complex at Jebel Ali.
Treating medical waste, from hypodermic needles to bloody bandages, is a tremendous job as it contains infectious microbes that vary in calorific value and needs special technology to treat it. Calorific value is the calories or thermal units contained in a unit of substance and released when that substance is burned.
Dr Rashid Ahmad Bin Fahd, Minister of Environment and Water, said this was a "comprehensive and integrated solution" to treating such waste and that UAE is taking all steps to safeguard the environment. The Dh24 million Japanese-built plant gives off zero emission.
Hussain Nasser Lootah, Director General of Dubai Municipality, said the incinerator has the capacity to treat 19.2 tonnes of medical waste every day. He said the waste will be put in special yellow bags and transported to the site in special vans.
"The UAE healthcare sector is among the dynamic areas of the economy. There has never been a better time to introduce the treatment facility, given the steady increase in the number of healthcare facilities in Dubai," he said.
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