Minister of Health Firas Hawari Tuesday inaugurated the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Summit on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and waste management in healthcare facilities, which was organized by the WHO and UNICEF, with participants from more than 30 countries. The gathering is a vital platform to discuss the results of the 2023 Global Progress Report, which highlights about 8 million people who die annually in 137 low- and middle-income countries due to poor healthcare and premature mortality, which leads to economic losses of $6 trillion. The minister reiterated Jordan’s commitment to implementing a 2019 WHO resolution on working to improve WASH services, which contributes to access to safe water and adequate sanitation for all. Hawari pointed out that his ministry is working to achieve the eight steps to achieve comprehensive access to healthcare, in cooperation with partners including the WHO and UNICEF, and through strengthening the enabling WASH environment. The ministry’s goal is to achieve flexible health facilities capable of adapting to climate and are environmentally sustainable, expand WASH services and raise the capacity of the health workforce, he said. Jordan, he said, has completed the first step, analysis and evaluation of the status of WASH services in healthcare facilities of the Ministry of Health, and also developed a national road map to enhance WASH in health care facilities that will immediately go into implementation. “At the regional level, the Eastern Mediterranean Region has seen an improvement in data coverage with estimates for all WASH components in healthcare facilities, but service gaps still remained,” said Jamila Al Raabi, WHO Representative in Jordan. WHO, in collaboration with UNICEF, will continue to carry out their commitment to helping countries strengthen WASH in health facilities for universal access to quality healthcare, she pledged.
Source: Jordan News Agency