Dr Carissa F Etienne—Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene in Health Care Facilities SHORT VERSION

Water, sanitation, and hygiene are always essential elements for safe, quality health care. But today as we face the most serious health emergency of the last 100 years, it is equally clear that ensuring access to safe water, adequate sanitation, and hygiene supplies for all healthcare facilities is an essential part of the response to COVID-19.

Data from Latin America and the Caribbean show that although nearly 9 in 10 healthcare facilities get their water from a public network, less than 60% of the water they receive is of good quality. Only 7 in 10 facilities have sanitation systems that work properly, and fewer than 4 in 10 facilities are able to manage their solid waste safely. Remarkably, about a third of healthcare facilities lack soap for washing hands, something that is of course basic!