TINATAYANG 1.8 bilyong tao ang nanganganib sa COVID-19 at iba pang sakit dulot ng kakulangan ng sapat na serbisyo ng tubig sa mga health care facilities, paalala ng World Health Organization (WHO) at ng United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) nitong Lunes.

“Working in a health care facility without water, sanitation, and hygiene is akin to sending nurses and doctors to work without personal protective equipment,” pahayag ni WHO Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

“Water supply, sanitation, and hygiene in health care facilities are fundamental to stopping COVID-19. But there are still major gaps to overcome, particularly in least developed countries,” dagdag pa niya.

Iniulat ng WHO at UNICEF na sa buong mundo, isa sa bawat apat na health care facilities ang walang serbisyo ng tubig , habang isa sa bawat tatlong pasilidad ang walang access sa hand hygiene, at isa sa bawat 10 ang walang serbisyo ng sanitasyon.

“As we reimagine and shape a post-COVID world, making sure we are sending children and mothers to places of care equipped with adequate water, sanitation, and hygiene services is not merely something we can and should do. It is an absolute must,” pahayag ni UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore.

Ayon pa sa dalawang ahensiya, sa 74 least developed countries sa mundo isa sa bawat dalawang health care facilities ang walang basikong tubig na maiinom, habang isa sa bawat apat sa pasilidad ang walang hand hygiene facilities, at tatlo sa bawat lima ang walang serbisyo ng sanitasyon.

Binigyang-diin ng WHO at UNICEF na ang tubig, sanitasyon at hygiene services ay maaaring magpababa ng gastos sa health care dahil binabawasan nito ang mga health-care associated infections.

Dagdag pa nila, makatitipid din ito ng oras dahil hindi na kakailanganin ng mga health workers na maghanap ng tubig para sa hand hygiene at magpapataas din ng bilis ng serbisyo ang mas maayos na hygiene.

“For millions of healthcare workers across the world, water is PPE (personal protective equipment). It is essential that financing keeps flowing to bring water and sanitation services to those battling the COVID crisis on the frontlines,” paliwanag ni Global Director for Water at the World Bank Group Jennifer Sara.

Sa inilabas na datos ng WHO nitong Oktubre, sinasabi na higit na malaki ang

COVID-19 infections sa grupo ng mga health care workers kumpara sa general population.

Sinabi ng WHO na kumakatawan ang mga health care workers sa halos tatlong porsiyento ng population ngunit sinasakop nito ang 14 porsiyento ng kabuuang kaso ng COVID-19 sa mundo.

“Without frontline health workers being able to wash their hands, provide their patients with clean water, or have somewhere decent to go to the toilet, a hospital is not a hospital at all — it’s a breeding ground for disease,” ani Chief Executive at International charity WaterAid Tim Wainwright.