Strengthening quality of care by improving WASH and waste management in health care facilities

Urgent action is needed to improve water, sanitation and hygiene as well as health care waste management and environmental cleaning (WASH) in health care facilities. The WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme Progress on WASH in health care facilities 2000-2021 Report found that 1 in 5 health care facilities globally lacked basic water services, and 1 in 10 had no sanitation service. In addition, 1 in 2 health care facilities lack hand hygiene facilities at point of care and 1 in 4 do not practise waste segregation.

WASH services in health care facilities are fundamental for the provision of quality, people-centered care. Today, such services are even more important in preventing the spread of COVID-19 and safely treating those infected. Such services also reduce health care associated infections, and serve to uphold the dignity and human rights of all care seekers and their families. This is especially true for vulnerable and marginalized populations including mothers, newborns, children, and minorities.

With huge gaps in current services, WHO, in collaboration with UNICEF and partners around the world, is coordinating a global movement to improve WASH in health care facilities, including the safe management of health care waste. WHO and UNICEF regularly provide global updates on progress in meeting global metrics and achieving key elements of the 2019 World Health Assembly resolution on this issue. At the regional and country level,  WHO provides technical support and capacity building for developing and implementing standards, training on the Water and Sanitation for Health Facility Improvement Tool (WASH FIT) and providing leadership for effective intersectoral engagement, investments and action. WHO also manages the global WASH in HCF knowledge portal (www.washinhcf.org).

 This work aligns with, and contributes directly to all three of WHO’s billion targets (UHC, emergencies and healthier populations), several Sustainable Development Goals, including Goal 6 on safe management of water and sanitation and Goals 3.1, 3.2 and 3.8 reducing maternal mortality, ending preventable newborn deaths, and providing quality universal health coverage.