The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF have released a comprehensive assessment detailing the shockingly low level of sanitation coverage across West Africa, with a staggering 16% of health facilities lacking basic sanitation standards – a figure significantly below the regional average of 23% for sub-Saharan Africa and well below 40% globally. This isn’t simply a matter of a toilet being absent; the report reveals a complex web of interconnected issues impacting patient care, public health, and overall well-being. The findings, published in Progress on Water, Sanitation, Hygiene, Environmental Cleaning, and Waste Management in Health Care Facilities 2015–2025, paint a stark picture of persistent disparities. The assessment identifies a critical problem extending far beyond the availability of a basic toilet. To meet the fundamental standard, a health facility must provide improved and usable toilets, crucial for staff, separate facilities for men and women with menstrual hygiene, and a toilet accessible to people with limited mobility. The report highlights a pervasive issue of menstrual hygiene facilities and access for people with limited mobility, often preventing health facilities from achieving the required standards. For patients, this lack of basic sanitation significantly impacts their privacy, accessibility, and dignity – a critical concern when receiving medical care. Ghana, a country below the regional level, exemplifies this disparity, with only 16% of its health facilities meeting the basic sanitation standard in 2025. This figure is significantly below the 23% recorded for sub-Saharan Africa and well below the 40% global level. However, the report reveals a worrying trend: Despite these figures, Ghana is not the lowest among West African countries for which estimates are available. Basic sanitation coverage was 7% in Guinea-Bissau, 11% in Burkina Faso, and 12% in Mali. Côte d’Ivoire recorded 21%, while Nigeria and Senegal performed better at 29% and 35% respectively. The differences are substantial, yet even some of the better-performing countries remain far from universal coverage. The report identifies several West African countries where at least one in 10 health facilities had no water service, including Liberia, Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Senegal, and Ghana. In Ghana, the figure was 27%, a little more than one in four facilities. The report underscores the challenges associated with waste management, noting that only 24% of health facilities met the basic waste-management standard in 2025. Furthermore, the report points to Burkina Faso, Ghana, Niger, and Nigeria amongst countries where more recent surveys produced lower estimates of waste-management coverage. The report doesn’t provide a single aggregate figure for West Africa; however, it reveals how uneven the provision of basic services remains across health facilities in the region. A country may perform relatively well on water but poorly on sanitation, another may have handwashing facilities in most hospitals, but struggle with the safe disposal of medical waste, and so on. Globally, 85% of health facilities had basic water services in 2025, but coverage fell to 72% for hygiene, 71% for waste management, and just 40% for sanitation. The report further illustrates this disparity, noting that many West African health facilities captured in the WHO/UNICEF assessment are significantly behind the global benchmarks. The situation is particularly challenging in Guinea, where more than half of health facilities had no water service, illustrating a critical gap in access to essential resources. The report underscores the profound impact of this disparity on patient care, public health, and the overall quality of life for people seeking or providing health services in West Africa. The challenges extend beyond simply the lack of a toilet; it involves a complex interplay of factors, including the availability of water, the usability of sanitation facilities, the accessibility of hygiene practices, and the well-being of health workers and patients. The data reveals a stark reality: the absence of basic sanitation standards is not just an issue of infrastructure; it represents a fundamental barrier to equitable and effective healthcare delivery, particularly in vulnerable communities across West Africa. The report’s limitations, including the lack of a single regional figure, necessitate a careful consideration of these findings within the context of the wider West African landscape.
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Source: MyJoyOnline
