Achieving sustainable WASH in health care

Virtual event for WHA: Achieving sustainable WASH in health care: addressing COVID-19 and safe, quality care for all

EVENTS
Date - Thursday 21st May 2020
Time - 13:00-15:00 CET
Location - Global/Virtual, register at https://link.medics.academy/WaSH

In the 52 weeks since the monumental WHA WASH in HCF Resolution was approved by every Member State, a pandemic has emerged that has affected every health system in the world. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the issue of WASH and its impact on the safety and quality of health care to the front and centre of the collective global mind. It has highlighted and reinforced the need to invest in the fundamentals if health care is to be safe and protect the vulnerable. And it has unfortunately demonstrated the impact in terms of human suffering and lives lost where these are not in place. This two-hour virtual meeting will provide a reality check on where we are in terms of progress since last year’s Resolution and afford an opportunity to explore how to accelerate action and investment to assure the world that clean hands, clean surfaces and clean practices in every health care facility can be an achievable and sustainable goal, including for the prevention of COVID-19.

The main objectives of the event are:

  • To consider how WASH in health care facilities can be hard wired into the COVID-19 response and recovery efforts moving forward
  • To share country progress and discuss successes and bottlenecks regarding implementation of the 2019 WHA Resolution. This will include a focus on empowering the health workforce, particularly nurses and midwives and how action to improve WASH in health-care facilities is supporting COVID-19 efforts;
  • To engage WASH and health partner organizations and investment banks in strategizing on how to meet global targets for WASH in health care facilities, using COVID-19 as an opportunity to sustainably improve WASH services;
  • To spark further commitments, investment and increased accountability in achieving universal access to WASH in HCF aligned with the COVID-19 response and recovery funding.

Register at https://link.medics.academy/WaSH

One year on from the WHA72 Resolution on WASH in HCFs – WHO and UNICEF, with WaterAid, and supported by a range of partners, hosted a virtual event.