A Ghanaian official has called for increased investment in universal access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services in health institutions to enhance the quality and efficiency of health service delivery in the country.
Mary Eyram Ashinyo, deputy director of the Quality Assurance Department at the Ghana Health Service (GHS), said that WASH is a critical factor in quality health service delivery on Tuesday during the opening of the 2024 Ghana WASH Week celebrations.
According to Ashinyo, about 60 percent of health facilities in the country now have basic WASH services, a significant improvement from 38 percent before the COVID-19 outbreak. Despite this progress, she said, more needs to be done to achieve universal access to basic WASH services in all health facilities.
“Universal access to WASH in health facilities is critical because it is the backbone of infection control and prevention in our hospitals. We need to prevent infections to improve the general well-being of our people as they contribute to national development,” Ashinyo said.
“It is important for health workers to have water to wash their hands as they provide service to patients, clean toilets, and maintain hygiene services to ensure they are not transmitting infections from one patient to another,” she added.
“When patients come to us, they want to get well, be safe, and avoid other infections that prolong their hospital stay or even send them to their graves,” she said.
