Evaluation of water, sanitation and hygiene status of COVID-19 healthcare facilities in Ghana using the WASH FIT approach

Access to improved water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) is essential for the delivery of high-quality care in healthcare facilities and the prevention of hospital-acquired infections such as the transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 In addition, unimpeded access to WASH facilities in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) treatment centres (TCs) is central in facilitating compliance with infection prevention and control protocols However, data for the WASH status of COVID-19 TCs in Ghana are limited We evaluated the WASH status of seven COVID-19 TCs in Ghana using the WHO/UNICEF water and sanitation for health facility improvement tool (WASH FIT) The water domain had the highest number of indicators meeting standards with an average percentage score of 90 5% (range: 66 7-100%) across the seven TCs, followed by management (66 9%) and hygiene (58 7%) The TCs performed poorly in the sanitation and healthcare waste domain, with an average percentage score of 44 6% (range: 22 2-75%) These findings highlight the challenges being faced by COVID-19 TCs in implementing WASH services Specific WASH interventions are urgently required to strengthen WASH services in the COVID-19 TCs This should precede the prioritisation of resources to WASH infrastructure in the treatment facilities coupled with actions that involve all stakeholders