This report presents, for the first time, a global assessment of the extent to which health care facilities provide essential water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services. Drawing on data from 54 low- and middle-income countries, this report finds that 38 percent lack access to even rudimentary levels of water. The World Health Organization, UNICEF, governments, and other partners must develop a global plan to address the pressing needs and ensure that all health care facilities have WASH services.
- Improving the safety and quality of health care globally requires WASH services in all health care facilities.
- In low resource settings, WASH services in many healthcare facilities are absent.
- Estimates of water coverage in health care facilities decrease when reliability and safety of supplies is taken into account.
- Large disparities in WASH services in health care facilities exist between and within countries.
- Primary healthcare facilities have significantly lower WASH coverage than hospitals.
- National plans for WASH in health care facilities are lacking.
- Improving services and WASH behaviors in health care facilities is achievable and has positive ripple effects both for increased use of these facilities and on WASH practices in homes.
- Very little data are available, especially for sanitation and hygiene.
- International recognition of the need for global monitoring of WASH in health care facilities against an agreed global target may spur the establishment or revision of national targets.
- Urgent action is needed to address this situation.
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- Copyright 2015 World Health Organization.
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