Business Honor: WHO Launches Health-Care Waste Course

WHO Launches Free Course on Safe Health-Care Waste Management

Recycling and Waste Management

WHO and UNICEF have launched a free online course to help health-care facilities improve waste management, reduce pollution and protect communities.

WHO and UNICEF launched a free online health-care waste course
The six-module course covers the complete medical waste management process
Around 571 million people are served by facilities without waste management services
Poor waste handling can create health and environmental risks
The course can generally be completed in two hours or less

World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a free online course focused on strengthening health-care waste management and helping health facilities improve safety, sustainability, and environmental protection.

Developed by WHO in collaboration with UNICEF and some other partners. It will guide health care workers, managers, planners, and policymakers who are responsible for managing health care waste. The free online medical waste management course covers everything related to health care waste management, including classification, segregation, storage, transportation, treatment, and disposal of medical waste.

It consists of six modules and discusses many topics, including waste minimization, recycling, treatment capacity, infrastructure planning, and the handling of mercury-containing devices and pharmaceutical waste.

This initiative is in response to a significant deficiency in waste management services worldwide. According to WHO and UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme estimates for 2025, 71% of health care facilities had basic waste management services, 21% had limited waste management services, while 7% had no waste management services. There were 571 million people served by facilities lacking any waste management services.

According to WHO, proper management of health care waste is crucial for patients, health workers, and communities for infection prevention and environmental protection. Improper handling of hazardous waste can lead to exposure to infectious and toxic materials, and to pollution of land and water from the release of pollutants during burning. About 85% of health care waste is non-hazardous, which makes segregation and waste reduction even more critical.

This course is intended for health care workers, waste management workers, environmental health specialists, decision-makers, and technical partners. No prior knowledge is required, and the course usually takes less than two hours to complete using the WHO Academy platform. Business Honor believes stronger health-care waste systems are essential for protecting public health while advancing safer and more sustainable health services.