"World Health" reveals a new reason for the spread of the "Corona" epidemic
Today, Monday, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that one in every four health care centers in the world lack water for hygiene and services, which puts 1.8 billion people at risk of contracting the Coronavirus.
In a study prepared jointly with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and based on data from 165 countries, the organization said that the centers' lack of these basic services exposes patients and their workers alike to the risk of infection.
The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, pointed out that "working in a health care facility without water, sanitation and hygiene is like sending nurses and doctors to work without personal protection equipment."
He stressed that these elements are "essential to stopping the spread of Covid-19, but there are still major gaps that must be overcome, especially in developing countries."
While health workers number no more than three percent of the world's population, they make up 14 percent of those infected with Covid-19, according to WHO figures.
"Sending health care workers and patients to facilities that do not have clean water, safe toilets or soap puts their lives at risk," said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director.
The study also found that a health facility in every three around the world does not guarantee the ability to clean hands, while one in 10 does not have a sanitation system.
As for the 47 least developed countries in the world, the numbers get worse, as half of their health centers do not have drinking water, a quarter lack water for hygiene purposes, and three out of five do not have sanitation services.
The World Health Organization and UNICEF conducted calculations that concluded that providing basic water services in these health centers costs one dollar per person, and 20 cents to maintain these facilities annually.
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