The deputy director for quality control at the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Mary Eyram Ashinyo has called for more investments into universal access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services in health institutions to boost quality and efficient health care outcomes in Ghana.
Dr. Ashinyo made this call during the opening of the 2024 Ghana WASH Week celebrations on Tuesday.
Dr. Ashinyo said WASH is a critical factor in quality health service delivery to meet the objective of attaining health for all as prescribed by the Sustainable Development Goals.
“Universal access to WASH in health facilities is critical because it is the backbone of infection control and prevention in our hospitals. And we need to prevent infections to improve the general wellbeing of our people as they contribute to national development,” the GHS official said.
She said WASH also contributes to preventing the transmission of infections by health workers from patient to patient.
Dr. Mary Eyram Ashinyo
The GHS official added that it is important for health workers to have water to wash their hands as they provide service to patients, clean toilets, and hygiene services to make sure they are not transmitting infections from one patient to another.
“This is a critical investment and must be prioritized because 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,” Dr. Ashinyo added.
According to her, between 50 percent and 60 percent of health facilities in the country have basic WASH services, a marked improvement from 38 percent before the COVID-19 outbreak.
Notwithstanding that improvement, the official said there is still more to do to attain the goal of universal access to basic WASH services in all health facilities.
The theme for the week-long WASH Week celebration is “WASH Prioritisation and its Impact on Social and Economic Development.”
