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Every year, an estimated 8 million lives are lost due to poor quality healthcare, particularly in low-income countries, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The WHO has released a new report titled Safe, Climate-Resilient and Environmentally Sustainable Healthcare Facilities: An Overview with essential guidance for policymakers, health administrators, facility managers, and practitioners on developing healthcare facilities that deliver quality care while withstanding environmental crises.
As global challenges such as climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss intensify, the report emphasises the urgent need for health systems and facilities to adapt. Without swift action, they risk being overwhelmed by escalating disruptions and demands.
A significant contributing factor is the lack of basic sanitation and hygiene services in health facilities. Globally, one in ten healthcare facilities operate without sanitation services, while many fail to adhere to basic healthcare waste management practices.
In the least-developed countries, only 21 per cent of healthcare facilities have basic sanitation services and just 32 per cent have basic hygiene provisions. This lack of essential infrastructure compromises the quality of care and exposes patients and healthcare workers to preventable risks.
Access to safe water, sanitation, hygiene (WASH) and reliable electricity forms the backbone of primary healthcare delivery. However, climate change is compounding the challenges faced by healthcare systems. It jeopardises critical health determinants such as clean air, safe drinking water, nutritious food, and adequate shelter.
The WHO has predicted that climate change will result in around 250,000 extra deaths annually from 2030 to 2050, due to factors such as malnutrition, malaria, diarrhoea, and heat stress. By 2030, direct health costs are expected to be between $2 billion and $4 billion annually.
To address these challenges, healthcare facilities must build resilience to climate change while ensuring environmental sustainability. This includes optimising resource use, minimising waste and reducing pollutants.
Healthcare facilities in developing countries are particularly susceptible to climate-related disruptions. They often face infrastructure deficiencies, workforce shortages, unreliable energy supplies and inadequate WASH services. These gaps not only compromise patient care but also contribute to unsafe working conditions for healthcare staff, leading to occupational illnesses, injuries and absenteeism. WHO estimates that such conditions account for up to 2 per cent of health expenditures.
The WHO guidance outlines actionable steps and provides access to resources and tools to help facilities adapt to climate-related shocks and stresses. Such facilities are defined as those capable of anticipating, responding to and recovering from climate-related challenges while minimising environmental impact.
WHO’s recommendations include:
Guaranteeing the delivery of secure WASH services, effective waste management, environmental sanitation, and dependable electricity.
Lowering carbon output and ensuring ecological sustainability.
Ensuring the safe management of dangerous chemicals and radiation to safeguard health workers, patients, and the public.
Establishing a secure workplace to mitigate healthcare-associated hazards.
Climate-resilient and environmentally sustainable healthcare facilities enhance the quality of care, improve accessibility, and reduce operational costs, making healthcare more affordable. They are essential for realising universal health coverage.
Despite the benefits, many healthcare facilities fall short of these standards due to resource constraints, knowledge gaps, political instability and armed conflict. WHO also emphasised the need for collective action to progressively enhance safety, resilience and sustainability in healthcare systems worldwide.
