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The World Health Organization warned on Monday that one in four health centers in the world lacks water for hygiene and services, putting 1.8 billion people at risk of contracting the coronavirus.
In a study carried out in conjunction with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and based on data from 165 countries, the organization said that the lack of these basic services in the centers exposes patients and their workers to the risk of infection.
The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, noted that “working in a health center without water, sanitation and hygiene is like sending nurses and doctors to work without personal protective equipment.”
He stressed that these elements are “essential to stop the spread of Covid-19, but there are still large gaps that need to be overcome, especially in developing countries.”
While health workers make up no more than three percent of the world’s population, they account for 14 percent of those infected with Covid-19, according to WHO figures.
“Sending health workers and patients to facilities that do not have clean water, safe toilets or soap puts their lives at risk,” said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director.
The study also found that one health facility in three worldwide does not guarantee the ability to wash hands, while one in 10 does not have a sanitation system.
For the 47 least developed countries in the world, the figures are getting worse, as half of their health centers do not have clean water, a quarter do not have water for hygiene purposes and three in five do not have sanitation services.
The World Health Organization and UNICEF made calculations that concluded that providing basic water services in these health centers costs one dollar per person and 20 cents to maintain these facilities annually.
