The Archbishop of Canterbury and Pope Leo XIV have jointly issued a call for increased international support to improve water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services in healthcare facilities worldwide, emphasizing the critical role these basic services play in preventing infections and saving lives, particularly in low-resource settings.
The appeal, released through coordinated statements from the Anglican Communion and the Vatican, highlights that nearly half of all healthcare facilities globally lack basic hygiene services, putting patients and health workers at avoidable risk of disease transmission. The religious leaders urged governments, donors, and international organizations to prioritize funding and implementation of sustainable WASH infrastructure in clinics and hospitals as an essential component of universal health coverage.
According to verified data from the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF’s Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (JMP), 49% of healthcare facilities worldwide do not have basic hygiene services at points of care, such as alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water at toilets and sinks. This gap contributes significantly to healthcare-associated infections, which affect hundreds of millions of patients each year and are a leading cause of preventable death in medical settings.
The leaders specifically referenced the ongoing challenges in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, where WASH coverage in healthcare facilities remains critically low. In sub-Saharan Africa, only 38% of healthcare facilities have basic water services, and just 28% have basic sanitation, according to the latest JMP estimates. In South Asia, although progress has been made, over one in four facilities still lack adequate hand hygiene infrastructure.
Improving WASH in healthcare is not only a matter of dignity and equity but also a proven strategy to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The WHO estimates that better infection prevention and control, including reliable access to clean water and hygiene, could reduce the need for antibiotics by up to 30% in some settings, helping to unhurried the spread of drug-resistant infections.
Pope Leo XIV’s statement, issued from the Vatican on April 10, 2026, expressed “the assurance of his spiritual closeness to all those who serve the sick in conditions where clean water and sanitation are lacking,” and called on Catholic healthcare networks to assess and improve WASH standards in their institutions. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, echoed this sentiment in a separate but aligned message released by Lambeth Palace on April 12, 2026, stating that “ensuring clean hands and safe environments in clinics is a fundamental act of justice and compassion.”
Both leaders pointed to the success of targeted WASH interventions in countries like Rwanda and Ethiopia, where coordinated investments in healthcare facility water systems, staff training, and maintenance protocols have led to measurable reductions in maternal and neonatal infections. They urged the international community to scale up such models through mechanisms like the Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Leverage Surveillance System (GLASS) and the WHO/UNICEF WASH in Healthcare Facilities Practical Steps toolkit.
The call comes ahead of the upcoming World Health Assembly in May 2026, where member states are expected to review progress on the 2019 World Health Assembly resolution on WASH in healthcare facilities. Advocacy groups including WaterAid and the WHO’s SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands campaign have welcomed the religious leaders’ intervention as a moral catalyst for action, noting that faith-based organizations deliver an estimated 30-70% of healthcare services in many developing countries.
Experts stress that achieving universal WASH coverage in healthcare by 2030, as outlined in the Sustainable Development Goals, will require sustained financial commitment. The World Bank estimates that achieving basic WASH services in all low- and middle-income country healthcare facilities would require an annual investment of approximately $6.5 billion — a fraction of the economic losses incurred annually due to healthcare-associated infections.
As of the latest verified reports, no new binding international treaty on WASH in healthcare has been proposed, but discussions are ongoing within the UN system about strengthening accountability frameworks for member state reporting on JMP indicators. The next official update on global WASH in healthcare coverage is expected from the WHO and UNICEF in late 2026, with preliminary data anticipated ahead of the UN Water Conference in March 2027.
For readers seeking official guidance, the WHO and UNICEF maintain publicly accessible databases and toolkits on WASH in healthcare facilities, including step-by-step improvement plans and monitoring frameworks available at no cost through their websites.
This joint appeal underscores a growing recognition that basic infrastructure like clean water and functioning toilets is not peripheral to healthcare — It’s foundational. As the religious leaders affirmed, delivering safe, dignified care begins long before a patient sees a doctor; it begins with access to clean water, a working toilet, and the means to wash one’s hands.
To stay informed on global health developments and WASH initiatives, readers are encouraged to follow updates from the World Health Organization and UNICEF’s Joint Monitoring Programme. Share this article to help raise awareness about the vital role of water, sanitation, and hygiene in healthcare — because no one should have to choose between seeking treatment and risking infection.