Only 40 percent of healthcare facilities worldwide meet basic sanitation standards, leaving 936 million people treated in settings without adequate sanitary infrastructure, according to a joint WHO-UNICEF report released Tuesday.
The findings reveal stark regional disparities. In sub-Saharan Africa, just 23 percent of facilities have basic equipment, while in the Democratic Republic of Congo nearly one in three lacks water service and 70 percent of Madagascar's facilities are without basic water access. WaterAid estimates 36 sepsis deaths occur daily across sub-Saharan Africa due to unclean water in medical settings.
Some progress has emerged over the past decade. Access to clean water in global healthcare rose from 76 to 85 percent, and India expanded compliant public facilities from roughly 100 to nearly 52,000 following a national water initiative. Yet 11 percent of facilities globally still lack any sanitation, and only 59 percent meet basic cleanliness standards.