- The article titled, ‘Global progress report on WASH in health care facilities: fundamentals first,’ appears as the ongoing pandemic reveals critical vulnerabilities within health systems, including ineffectual disease prevention and control, informed Xinhua news agency.
THD NewsDesk, Geneva: Water crisis has added to the threatening burden of COVID-19 along with other diseases for the healthcare facilities. Around 1.8 billion people are faced with the challenges of lack of essential water services, as the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF claimed in a joint statement on 15th of December, 2020.
The article titled, ‘Global progress report on WASH in health care facilities: fundamentals first,’ appears as the ongoing pandemic reveals critical vulnerabilities within health systems, including ineffectual disease prevention and control, informed Xinhua news agency.
Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) are essential to health workers and sufferers’ security, yet the arrangement for these services is not prioritized, it said.
Worldwide, one in four healthcare facilities has no water services, one in three does not have access to hand hygiene where care is provided, one in 10 has no sanitation services, and one in three does not segregate waste safely.
The condition is most critical of all in the world’s 47 least impoverished nations (LDCs): one in two health care amenities lack primary drinking water, one in four health care facilities has no hand sanitation facilities at points of care, and three in five lack essential hygiene services.
The report’s introductory surveys indicate that it would cost approximately $1 per capita to invest all 47 LDCs to establish necessary water services in health facilities.
The report provides four main recommendations: implementing cost state roadmaps with relevant financing and monitoring and regularly reviewing progress in improving WASH services, practices, and the enabling environment.
By 2020, over 130 partners have committed resources, of which 34 have made dedicated financial commitments totaling $125 million.
The data in this year’s report include statistics for 165 countries from surveys representing 760,000 facilities.
Compared to last year’s baseline report, estimates were available for 125 countries, with data from surveys representing 560,000 facilities.
It is the first time these data have been compiled and analyzed.
Source: Health.economics.com
