A joint UNICEF-WHO report has revealed that people use or work in health care facilities without basic water services, placing them at heightened risk of COVID-19 and other diseases.
The report said working or seeking care in a health care facility without safe water, sanitation or even soap puts lives at risk.
“This was certainly true before COVID-19 and has only become more relevant since.
“A reliable supply of safe water in health facilities is critical to providing quality health care, especially in the midst of a global pandemic.
“It ensures that those who seek care are not worse off going to a hospital or clinic and that they receive the needed care.
“Yet, approximately 1.8 billion people use or work in health care facilities without basic water services, placing them at heightened risk of COVID-19 and other diseases,” it said.
This global progress report on water, sanitation, hygiene and waste management and environmental cleaning (WASH) in health care facilities comes at an unprecedented moment, when COVID-19 is exposing key vulnerabilities in health systems, such as inadequate infection prevention.
The report “finds that 1 in 3 facilities globally do not have hand-washing necessities where care is provided, 1 in 10 have no sanitation services, and 1 in 3 do not segregate waste safely.”
The UNICEF-WHO report also mentioned that across the world’s 47 least-developed countries, the situation is even worse, with the full extent of the problem remaining hidden because of major data gaps.”
It further stated that WASH services in health care facilities – often taken for granted or outright neglected, are needed more than ever to protect vulnerable health workers and patients.
The report further stated that “a shocking 10 per cent of health facilities used by 800 million people globally, had no sanitation service.
“Only 30 per cent of facilities in the least developed countries had basic waste management services. This might just be the tip of the iceberg as since data gaps obscure the full picture.
While the data paint a dire picture, the report said access to WASH can be improved with immediate, incremental investments.
“Improving hygiene in health care facilities is a “best buy” for tackling antimicrobial resistance as it reduces illnesses that may be costlier to treat later on.
“Critical gaps remain, however, with only one-third of countries having developed roadmaps for action and just over 10 per cent having integrated WASH indicators into their regular national health system monitoring,” the report stated.
