ArticlePloS one2024
Inadequate sanitation in healthcare facilities: A comprehensive evaluation of toilets in major hospitals in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Article in PloS one, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Application and efficacy evaluation of a novel electrolytic water-disinfecting toilet for infection prevention and control in healthcare facility restrooms.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Article
- Water (In)Accessibility, Healthcare Delivery, and Patients' Health Outcomes in Ghana: Perspectives from the Yendi Hospital.Nursing reports (Pavia, Italy) · 2025Article
- Perceptions of health and healthcare needs in low-resource settings: qualitative insights from Bengaluru's urban slum and rural areas.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
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9 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundLack of access to functional and hygienic toilets in healthcare facilities (HCFs) is a significant public health issue in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), leading to the transmission of infectious diseases. Globally, there is a lack of studies characterising toilet conditions and estimating user-to-toilet ratios in large urban hospitals in LMICs. We conducted a cross-sectional study in 10-government and two-private hospitals to explore the availability, functionality, cleanliness, and user-to-toilet ratio in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
methodsFrom Aug-Dec 2022, we undertook infrastructure assessments of toilets in selected hospitals. We observed all toilets and recorded attributes of intended users, including sex, disability status, patient status (in-patient/out-patient/caregiver) and/or staff (doctor/nurse/cleaner/mixed-gender/shared). Toilet functionality was defined according to criteria used by the WHO/UNICEF Joint-Monitoring Programme in HCFs. Toilet cleanliness was assessed, considering visible feces on any surface, strong fecal odor, presence of flies, sputum, insects, and rodents, and solid waste.
resultsAmongst 2875 toilets, 2459 (86%) were observed. Sixty-eight-percent of government hospital toilets and 92% of private hospital toilets were functional. Only 33% of toilets in government hospitals and 56% in private hospitals were clean. A high user-to-toilet ratio was observed in government hospitals' outpatients service (214:1) compared to inpatients service (17:1). User-to-toilet ratio was also high in private hospitals' outpatients service (94:1) compared to inpatients wards (19:1). Only 3% of toilets had bins for menstrual-pad disposal and <1% of toilets had facilities for disabled people.
conclusionA high percentage of unclean toilets coupled with high user-to-toilet ratio hinders the achievement of SDG by 2030 and risks poor infection-control. Increasing the number of usable, clean toilets in proportion to users is crucial. The findings suggest an urgent call for attention to ensure basic sanitation facilities in Dhaka's HCFs. The policy makers should allocate resources for adequate toilets, maintenance staff, cleanliness, along with strong leadership of the hospital administrators.
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