WASH and waste in health care facilities
Urgent action is needed to improve water, sanitation and hygiene and safe and sustainable health care waste management. WHO is working with partners to support countries in implementing the 8 practical steps, including developing national roadmaps, strengthening regular monitoring and improving services through the use of the Water and Sanitation for Health Facility Improvement Tool.
WHO Academy course
Relevant publications
Safe management of pharmaceutical waste from health care facilities: global best practices
This document provides a summary of existing, relevant recommendations for the safe management of pharmaceutical waste and uses case studies to illustrate...
Implementaton of the water and sanitation for health facility improvement tool (WASH FIT): global report
This document provides an analysis of the application of the Water and Sanitation for Health Facility Improvement tool (WASH FIT), along with case studies...
Progress on WASH in health care facilities 2000-2021: Special focus on WASH and infection prevention...
In March 2018, the Secretary-General of the United Nations launched a global call to action for WASH in all health care facilities, noting that health...
WASH FIT manual for trainers
This manual for trainers outlines the information and materials required to undertake training in line with the WASH FIT Guide, including background documents,...
WASH FIT: A practical guide for improving quality of care through water, sanitation and hygiene in health...
WASH FIT is a risk-based, quality improvement tool for health care facilities, covering key aspects of WASH services: water; sanitation; hand hygiene;...
Global analysis of health care waste in the context of COVID-19
Globally, safe waste management services for healthcare waste are lacking, especially in least developed countries. The latest available data (from...
The report identifies major global gaps in WASH services: one third of health care facilities do not have what is needed to clean hands where care is provided;...
Achieving quality health services for all, through better water, sanitation and hygiene - Lessons from...
Achieving Health for All, and in particular universal health coverage (UHC), will not happen without fully functioning basic water, sanitation and hygiene...
WASH in health care facilities: Practical steps to achieve universal access to quality care
In 2018, the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General issued a Global Call to Action to elevate the importance of and prioritize action on WASH in all health...
WHO and UNICEF, through the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (JMP), have produced regular updates on water,...
Overview of technologies for the treatment of infectious and sharp waste from health care facilities
The waste produced in the course of health care activities, from contaminated needles to radioactive isotopes, can cause infection and injury, and inadequate...
WASH FIT is a risk-based, continuous improvement framework with a set of tools for undertaking water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) improvements as part...
Safe management of wastes from health-care activities: A summary
The waste produced in the course of health care activities, from contaminated needles to radioactive isotopes, can cause infection and injury, and inadequate...
The waste produced in the course of health-care activities, from contaminated needles to radioactive isotopes, carries a greater potential for causing...
