Half of the world's healthcare facilities lack basic hygiene services - Official

Half of the world's health care facilities lack basic hygiene services, putting nearly four billion people at increased risk of infection, the United Nations said on Tuesday.

These facilities do not have water, soap or alcohol-based hand sanitizers where patients receive care and in their toilets, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

The latest report from the Joint Monitoring Program (JMP) indicates that approximately 3.85 billion people use these facilities, putting them at increased risk of infections, including 688 million people who receive care in facilities without any hygiene service.

The report, 'Progress on WASH in health care facilities 2000–2021: special focus on WASH and infection prevention and control', for the first time set this global benchmark on hygiene services - which assessed the access to points of care as well as toilets – as more countries than ever report on the critical elements of WASH services in their hospitals and other health centres.

WHO Director, Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health, Maria Neira, said hygiene facilities and practices in health care facilities are non-negotiable.

"Their improvement is essential for pandemic recovery, prevention and preparedness."

Ms. Neira said hygiene in healthcare facilities cannot be guaranteed without increasing investment in basic measures, including safe drinking water, clean toilets and safely managed medical waste.

"I encourage Member States to intensify their efforts to implement their commitment made at the 2019 World Health Assembly to strengthen WASH services in health care settings and to monitor these efforts." Statistics

The new global estimate, based on data from 40 countries and regions, presents an "alarming picture" of the state of hygiene in healthcare facilities, according to the report.

He said 68% of health facilities had point-of-care hygiene facilities and 65% had handwashing facilities with soap and water in toilets.

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However, only 51% had both and therefore met the criteria for basic hygiene services.

The report shows that 9% of healthcare facilities worldwide have neither.

According to the report, facilities in sub-Saharan Africa lagged behind, with only 37% having handwashing facilities with soap and water in toilets.

In least developed countries, only 53% of facilities had access to a protected water source on site.

Globally, about 3% of health facilities in urban areas and 11% in rural areas had no water service.

The report also found that many facilities lacked basic environmental cleaning and safe segregation and disposal of medical waste.

Risks

“If healthcare providers don't have access to a hygiene service, patients don't have access to a healthcare facility,” said Kelly Naylor, WASH and Climate Director, Environment, Energy and Disaster Risk Reduction (CEED) at UNICEF. .

Ms Naylor said hospitals and clinics without clean water and basic hygiene and sanitation services are a potential death trap for pregnant women, newborns and children.

Every year, approximately 670,000 newborns die of sepsis. "It's a travesty - especially since their deaths are preventable," she said.

The report notes that contaminated hands and environments play a significant role in the transmission of pathogens in healthcare settings and the spread of antimicrobial resistance.

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