Ministry of Health signs contract with Wekaya

Pursuing its policy to ensure safe and secure waste management methods, the Ministry of Health in Sharjah has signed a contract with Wekaya, which specializes in managing the treatment of medical waste. The contract was signed by Engineer Khaled Majed Lootah, the ministry's Assistant Undersecretary for Institutional and Support Services, and Khalifa Al-Shaibani, General Manager of Wekaya, in the presence of Dr Mohammad Abdullah Al-Zarouni, Deputy Manager of Sharjah Medical Area. Lootah commended Wekaya's efforts and its role in disposing medical waste securely. He also stressed on the importance of providing opportunities to the official entities responsible for managing medical waste, in order for them to benefit from the expertise and guarantee the application of best practices and therefore enhance the ministry's services. The agreement is in line with Sharjah's Executive Council's decision Number 5 for 2011 in regards to the management of medical waste in the emirate which was issued on 22nd January, 2011, and corresponds with the Ministry's policy of pursuing safe and secure methods to manage medical waste. Wekaya, a first-of-its-kind project in the UAE in the field of medical waste treatment, was launched in Sharjah by the directives of Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qassimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, to preserve Sharjah's environment which is free of the dangers of medical waste. Al Shaibani, general manager of Wekaya, said Wekaya is prepared to provide collection, transportation and treatment services of medical waste to more than 24 medical facilities managed by the Ministry of Health in Sharjah which span from Sharjah City to the Eastern and central areas. He said Sharjah has 3.5 tons of medical waste per day, and 15-20 per cent of this waste is considered dangerous and a potential health hazard by experts in the field.