NEW DELHI: Only four in 10 health-care facilities globally met basic sanitation standards in 2025, while fewer than six in 10 met basic environmental cleaning standards, according to a WHO and UNICEF report released on Tuesday.
The report found significant gaps in water, sanitation, hygiene, environmental cleaning and waste management services in health-care facilities, including patient rooms, wards, operating theatres, examination and treatment areas, and toilets.
The report, ‘Progress on water, sanitation, hygiene, environment cleaning and waste management in healthcare facilities 2015-25’, was released through the WHO-UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (JMP).
For the first time, global estimates are available for all five basic service areas, including sanitation and environmental cleaning.
In 2025, an estimated 85% of health-care facilities had basic water services, 72% had basic hygiene services and 71% had basic health-care waste management services. However, only 59% met the basic standard for environmental cleaning and 40% met the requirements for basic sanitation.
“The findings show important progress but also expose major gaps in the foundations of safe, high-quality care,” said Bruce Gordon, Unit Head, Water, Sanitation and Health (WSH), WHO.
“Reliable water, accessible sanitation, hand hygiene, effective environmental cleaning and safe waste management must be integrated into health planning, financing and monitoring,” Gordon said.
The report noted that the finding that only 40% of health-care facilities had basic sanitation services did not mean that the remaining 60% had no toilets. Globally, 89% had some form of sanitation and 85% had usable toilets.
To qualify as a basic sanitation service, toilets must be improved and usable and meet the needs of patients, staff, women and girls, and people with limited mobility.
Lack of menstrual hygiene
Only around half of the facilities had separate toilets for men and women, accessible toilets or facilities for menstrual hygiene. The lack of menstrual hygiene facilities and accessible toilets were the most common factors preventing facilities from meeting the basic standard.
“A toilet is not enough if it is unsafe, inaccessible or does not meet the needs of women, girls and people with disabilities,” said Evariste Kouassi Komlan, Director of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), UNICEF.
“Without basic WASH services, health care facilities can pose serious risks to women during childbirth, newborns and young children. Safe, inclusive and dignified WASH services are essential to delivering quality care and protecting health.”