Resources

Results of an assessment of WASH in health care facilities in Panama, completed in 2018.

Results of an assessment of WASH in health care facilities in Guatemala, completed in 2018.

Results of an assessment of WASH in health care facilities in Bolivia, completed in 2018.

Résultats et réflexion sur le pilotage de l’outil Water and Sanitation for Health Facility Improvement Tool (WASH FIT, OMS, UNICEF, 2018) au Mali, comme cadre de travail participatif pour évaluer et agir afin de réduire les risques et d’améliorer les services.

This study aimed to investigate availability of WASH policies, standards, and services for childbirth and newborn care in hospitals in East Asia and the Pacific. Descriptive analysis of survey data and observations of water, sanitation and hygiene services in maternity and neonatal care rooms and of deliveries in 153 hospitals in Cambodia, China, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands, and Viet Nam. The main outcome measures were availability of national policies and standards; availability of water, sanitation, and hygiene services in maternity rooms and neonatal care units; and practice of hygiene at childbirth.

Infections acquired during labour and delivery are a significant cause of maternal and child morbidity and mortality. Adherence to hand hygiene protocols is a critical component of infection prevention strategies, but few studies have closely examined the hand hygiene of health care providers with sufficient detail to understand infection risks and prioritize prevention strategies. : This observational study was conducted in six healthcare facilities in Nigeria. In each, five women were observed from the onset of labour through to delivery of the placenta. Hand hygiene infection risk was estimated for all procedures requiring aseptic technique compared against adherence to proper hand hygiene protocol and potential recontamination events. This study highlights that hand hygiene remains a barrier to delivering high-quality and safe care in health facilities. Improving hygiene practices during labour and delivery will require strategies that extend beyond infrastructure provision.

Global Framework for Urban Water, Sanitation and Hygiene has been developed in recognition that Urban WASH is an emerging area of focus in Global UNICEF Strategy for WASH 2016-2030. The Framework creates a common vision for UNICEF’s approach to Urban WASH programming. It is expected to support country, regional and global WASH teams to have a clear and shared sense of direction and common purpose in efforts to secure engagement in supporting the most marginalized urban children and their families with WASH services. This framework is designed to offer opportunities for partnerships and an alignment of approaches for addressing WASH challenges in urban areas including WASH in healthcare facilities. Thus, the document is useful for advocacy and raising awareness of UNICEF’s priorities and plans for urban WASH interventions while supporting engagement with external partners to move forward the global urban WASH agenda collectively. The framework mentions the assessment of WASH service delivery in urban healthcare facilities and public institutions (markets, public transport hubs/motor parks etc.) to be among the potential entry points and priority activities by programme thematic area, for service-level support, for engaging in urban WASH. It would equally serve as a basis for evidence generation.

Government of Eritrea and the United Nations Children’s Fund analyzed bottlenecks hindering the delivery of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services in Eritrea. The results identified the major bottlenecks for WASH in institutions to be (i). Lack of policy and legal framework that includes provisions for operational sustainability; (ii). Lack of a well-functioning coordinating body; (iii) Unsupportive conditions (lack of an enabling environment) for the application of service delivery models; (iv) Insufficient funding that arises from weak institutional and individual capacities to create a successful mechanism to raise funds and diversify sources of funding; (v) Lack of a well-established monitoring feedback system to improve decision-making at different levels; and (vi) Weak institutional, individual and financial capacities to develop a human resources strategy. The main underlying causes of the major bottlenecks for WASH in institutions are limited human, financial, institutional and organizational capacities of institutions, and low levels of commitment of policy- and decision-makers. The report cited that the total financing gap to implement the recommended activities to remove the bottlenecks to service delivery in WASH in institutions is about USD 3.73 million.

The objectives of this brief are to review common and effective indicators for monitoring environmental health conditions and measuring improvements in maternal and newborn health care as well as recommend opportunities to enhance monitoring of environmental health in maternal and newborn health care settings.

A Review and Gap Analysis of Critical Environmental Conditions