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Sharp Waste Management

Sharp Waste Management

WHO Pakistan in collaboration with The Health Foundation (THF) Pakistan, a nongovernmental organization, Pakistan Medical and Research Council (PMRC) and Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Center (JPMC), Karachi, piloted an injection safety project to identify an innovative, cost-effective, replicable solution to break the transmission cycle of blood-borne infections by preventing the reuse of syringes by disabling syringes through a manual needle remover. Pakistan is among the top countries in which blood-borne infections are prevalent among the general population, with high transmission among the lower socioeconomic class of the population.

 

The national prevalence of viral Hepatitis B and C stands at 7% with more than 12 million people suffering from these viral infections according to a WHO survey carried out in 2024. One of the major reasons for the spread of these blood-borne infections is the reuse of syringes. Major hospitals, such as the Jinnah Postgraduate Hospital in Karachi, are among the major sources of such medical waste that carry the risk of spreading these infections. WHO Pakistan planned a pilot project with its partners to implement a mechanism to break this cycle of transmission by ensuring that each used syringe is cut safely and disposed of properly.