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Thursday March 28, 2024

40% population denied access to basic hygiene facilities

By Myra Imran
October 15, 2019

Islamabad:As international community commemorates Global Handwashing Day, the health and lives of the people of Pakistan are at risk because 40 per cent of the population is denied access to basic hygiene facilities.

October 15 is Global Handwashing Day, a global advocacy day dedicated to increasing awareness and understanding about the importance of handwashing with soap as an effective and affordable way to prevent diseases and save lives. The theme for this Global Handwashing day is, “Clean Hands for All.” This follows the push to leave no one behind in the Sustainable Development Agenda.

In Pakistan, the facilities to wash hands are not ample and the issue is not given as much importance as it requires considering the impact of a simple act of handwashing. A big number of schools in Pakistan are without washrooms and water supply to wash hands. According to Alif Ailaan Regional Factsheets 2014, 2 out of every 5 schools are missing a toilet. Those with washrooms hardly have smooth water supply.

Despite the critical importance of hygiene in healthcare, 24 per cent of healthcare facilities in Pakistan have no access to basic hygiene facilities. Making sure that every patient and staff member can wash their hands with soap and clean water will help prevent infections and the spread of disease, whilst protecting staff and patients.

Even at homes, 46 per cent of the population does not have a handwashing facility with soap and water, says the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP). Approximately 1 in 5 (19 per cent) people wash their hands with soap after defecating.

Handwashing with soap and water can reduce cases of diarrhoea by almost half. In 2017, Diarrhoea linked to lack of water, sanitation and hygiene claimed the lives of 46 children every single day in Pakistan.

WHO estimates that 50 per cent of malnutrition is associated with repeated diarrhoea or intestinal worm infections as a direct result of inadequate WASH. Around 30 per cent of children under five in Pakistan are underweight, 45 per cent are stunted, and 11 per cent suffer from wasting. These alarming statistics can improve with simple act of handwashing. On the other hand, handwashing with soap reduces the risk of diarrhoeal diseases by 42-47 per cent.

The JMP says that around the world, 3 billion people (40 per cent) lacked somewhere to wash their hands with both soap and water. The data says that lack of access to sanitation and poor hygiene contribute to approximately 88 per cent of childhood deaths caused by diarrhoeal diseases.