WASH in Health Care Facilities Global Baseline Report 2019

This WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme’s report includes data from over 560,000 health care facilities in 125 countries to assess the state of WASH in healthcare facilities globally. WASH is a prerequisite for quality care, and is particularly important for the safe management of childbirth. It is fundamental to the achievement of UNICEF’s Every Child Alive Campaign and the “triple billion” targets of WHO’s 13th General Programme of Work. With a renewed focus on safe and quality primary health care through the Astana Declaration, the opportunity to ensure the basics are in place, including WASH services, has never been greater. In March 2018, the United Nations Secretary-General issued a global call for greater leadership and accountability to provide WASH services in all health care facilities, emphasizing the high cost of inaction. This report reinforces the need to address the WASH gaps in healthcare facilities and provides the data and messaging required to drive momentum and increase government and donor support.

Key messages to take away:

• 2 billion people use health care facilities that lack basic water services

• 1.5 billion people use health care facilities with no sanitation services

• 43% of health care facilities do not have hand hygiene at point of use

• 17 million women in Least Developed Countries give birth in health care facilities with inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene

A companion document detailing practical steps for Member States to take in response to the 2018 UN Secretary General’s Call to Action, titled Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene in Health Care Facilities: Practical steps to achieve universal access to quality care, can also be found here.

Check out the updated webpage WASHinHCF.org for more resources, materials and information.