A patient arriving at a hospital may expect clean water, a usable toilet, and somewhere for health workers to wash their hands. But across parts of West Africa, many health facilities still fall short of these basic standards, according to a new assessment by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF.

🇬🇭 Here's What Happened

The gaps are particularly stark when it comes to sanitation. In Guinea-Bissau, only 7% of health care facilities met the basic sanitation standard in 2025. The figure was 11% in Burkina Faso, 12% in Mali, and 16% in Ghana. Nigeria recorded 29%, while Senegal stood at 35%.

The findings are contained in Progress on Water, Sanitation, Hygiene, Environmental Cleaning and Waste Management in Health Care Facilities 2015–2025, produced by the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme.

They reveal a problem that goes beyond whether a hospital or clinic simply has a toilet.

📌 Key Details

To meet the basic sanitation standard, a health facility needs improved and usable toilets. There must be a toilet for staff, separate facilities for men and women with provision for menstrual hygiene, and a toilet that can be used by people with limited mobility.

The report says menstrual hygiene facilities and access for people with limited mobility were often among the factors preventing health facilities from meeting the standard.

For patients, that can make something as ordinary as using a toilet while receiving medical care a question of privacy, accessibility, and dignity.

In Ghana, only 16% of its health facilities met the basic sanitation standard in 2025. That means roughly five in every six fell short of the full standard. The figure is also below the 23% recorded for sub-Saharan Africa and well below the 40% global level.

But Ghana is not the lowest among the West African countries for which estimates are available.

Basic sanitation coverage was 7% in Guinea-Bissau, 11% in Burkina Faso and 12% in Mali. Côte d'Ivoire recorded 21%, while Nigeria and Senegal performed better at 29% and 35% respectively.

📰 Source: Joy Online Ghana