Infection Prevention Control (IPC) In Health Care Facilities in the COVID -19 Era through Enhanced Wash Facilities

At a healthcare facility (HCF) level, water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) refer to all formally recognized facilities, such as the provision of water supply and sanitation services, including health care waste management, general hygiene promotion and keeping the environment within HCF clean and free of germs. Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) also encompasses various interventions, including campaigns to promote proper sanitation and hygiene behaviours.

With the onset of COVID-19 in March 2020, the need for adequate safe, clean water, sanitation and hygiene services in HCF cannot be overemphasized for its critical role in providing primary health services. For example, evidence shows that HCF with adequate handwashing facilities, when supported with soap, prevent the transmission of diseases from person to person, including contaminating surfaces touched with unsanitary hands.