Wash in Healthcare Facilities

WASH is critical in healthcare facilities where the risk of patient infection is high. As a health-focused organization, our goal is to systematically improve WASH services in healthcare facilities, to protect patients, caregivers and staff from nosocomial (hospital-acquired) infections and to ensure quality care.

In low- and middle-income countries, about 15% of patients will contract at least one nosocomial infection. Such infections can prolong hospital stays, increase resistance to medication, escalate costs for patients and result in long-term disability or death.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified alarming WASH gaps among healthcare facilities in low- and middle-income countries, finding that about one-quarter of facilities lack water services, 10% lack sanitation and about one-third lack proper hand-hygiene facilities. This means healthcare workers cannot ensure quality care, and therefore frequently put themselves, their patients and surrounding communities at risk of infection and even death. Without sufficient WASH facilities and infrastructure in hospitals, preventing or containing disease outbreaks such as Ebola or cholera becomes a major challenge.

There is considerable evidence that handwashing is the most effective single measure to reduce cross-infection. Health facilities can encourage behavior change by informing visitors about WASH and providing a hygienic environment model. WASH in healthcare facilities has the following additional benefits:

• Better environmental resilience
• Increased community uptake of services
• Prevention of disease
• Reduction in nosocomial infections; and
• Improved occupational health.

International Medical Corps promotes WASH as a mainstream activity at health facilities to capture these benefits and to ensure safe healthcare delivery and effective infection control.

Our Response

Providing WASH in healthcare facilities is a core component of International Medical Corps’ work. Our WASH priorities focus on strengthening healthcare service delivery at the facility level by establishing safe water supplies, adequate sanitation infrastructure, accessible handwashing facilities and rigorous training of healthcare staff in infection prevention and control.

Most of our country projects include interventions to strengthen basic WASH facilities in healthcare centers, including assessing, planning, building and monitoring WASH improvements for new, temporary or existing health facilities, and providing critical WASH supplies such as detergents, disinfectants, soaps and cleaning materials, as well as protective clothing.

Examples of our work include the following.

Since the full-fledged Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, International Medical Corps has expanded efforts to support WASH needs and to rehabilitate infrastructure, especially at health facilities crucial for millions of Ukrainians. Our interventions have included providing emergency water-supply and sanitation services, renovating bomb shelters, drilling wells, and upgrading heating, electrical and ventilation systems.

International Medical Corps has provided WASH services to healthcare facilities located in refugee camps in Ethiopia. We have constructed latrines, rehabilitated waste zones at supported health centers and installed rooftop rainwater-harvesting systems. We supply water storage containers and water purification materials to households and health posts, and have rehabilitated water boreholes, shallow hand-dug wells and springs that improve water supply systems. We have also trained health workers and community volunteers on appropriate sanitation and hygiene practices.

Ebola is a dangerous and deadly disease, but over the past five decades, since the first cases appeared in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), much progress has been made in preventing and treating it. Since Ebola spreads through direct contact with infected blood or fluids, our WASH work helps protect healthcare workers and communities. We have built Ebola treatment centers and screening referral units with improved WASH access. Our teams have drilled boreholes to improve access to water for handwashing and to create cleaner environments. We make supplies like soap and personal protective equipment available, and provide training in infection prevention and control. We continue to provide healthcare and psychosocial support to Ebola survivors and to strengthen local healthcare systems as part of longer-term preparedness and response measures to prevent future outbreaks of Ebola and other infectious diseases with epidemic potential.