A ceremony held in Kaafu Dhiffushi marked the formal handover of new healthcare waste management facilities, equipment, and clean-energy vehicles to the Ministry of Health, concluding a three-year initiative implemented by UNDP Maldives with funding from the Government of Japan. The project, valued at USD 4.4 million, was carried out from 2022 to 2025 to enhance safer and more sustainable waste management systems across the country.
Through the programme, 21 healthcare waste management facilities were constructed nationwide, including the new Dhiffushi building inaugurated during the ceremony. Autoclaves were installed at Thuraakunu and Thakandhoo health centres, and 65 electric tricycles were provided to support clean-energy waste transportation within island communities. The initiative also included capacity building, with 656 healthcare workers trained in waste handling, most of them women, in partnership with WHO.
The project further contributed to the digital development of the sector, supplying 270 computers and 40 network switches to reinforce a national digitalised waste management system. Additional health service equipment such as ECG machines and autoclaves was procured to support continuity of care across facilities.
Health Minister Abdulla Nazim Ibrahim, Japan’s Ambassador Ishigami Rumiko, and UNDP Resident Representative Adnan Cheema delivered remarks at the event, highlighting the shared commitment to building resilient and environmentally conscious health systems. Participants also toured the Dhiffushi facility and inspected the electric vehicles and equipment now being deployed across islands.
The Ministry of Health, UNDP, and the Government of Japan state that efforts will continue to strengthen safe, sustainable, and gender-responsive healthcare waste management to protect both public and environmental health in the Maldives.
