Hospital washrooms in appalling state: icddr,b

Only 68 percent of government hospitals have functional toilets, of which, only 33 percent are clean, as per a new study.

Meanwhile, for private hospitals, at least 92 percent are functional while 56 percent of the toilets are clean.

International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) conducted the study in collaboration with University of Technology, Sydney and the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

The study, which surveyed 12 government and private hospitals in Dhaka, was recently published in the journal PLOS ONE, according to a icddr,b press release issued yesterday.

The study found high user-to-toilet ratios in outpatient facilities in Dhaka hospitals.

There was only one toilet for every 214 people in public hospitals and 94 for private, significantly below the recommended standards set by WaterAid, the study shows.

According to WaterAid, for institutional toilets in outpatient facilities, there should be one toilet for every 20–25 patients.

The study evaluated 2,459 toilets in Dhaka's healthcare facilities to assess the availability, functionality, and cleanliness of toilets.