UN: A Quarter of Health Facilities Across the Globe Lacks Clean Water Access03.04.2019

Latest joint WHO-UNICEF report reveals alarming water access issues in medical facilities worldwide that could potentially facilitate the spread of deadly bacteria. 

It turns out that nearly two billion people use medical facilities that fail to meet basic sanitation standards. The data compiled for the report revealed that as many as 25% of the hospitals, clinics, and outpatient health centers do not have access to clean running water, and in the poorest of the surveyed countries, around half the facilities lack proper amenities to meet sanitation standards. Twenty percent of the facilities lack toilets. 

Lack of clean water access can not only facilitate the spread of communicable diseases, but carries other hazards, too—the UN reported that over a million of deaths per year are caused by giving birth in unsafe, unsanitary conditions. 

The WHO-UNICEF report also includes a number of practical recommendations for improving the situation of healthcare facilities in the poorest countries, boost quality of life for the sick, and help stem the tide of disease and the spread of antimicrobial resistance. Around the world, 900 million people lack basic access to clean water or are forced to use unsafe, often contaminated water supplies.