The Ministry of Health has revealed that Uganda loses over UGX4 trillion annually due to the lack of access to proper Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) facilities.
The staggering cost, which could be avoided through better investment in the water and sanitation sectors, was highlighted during a recent meeting of the Parliamentary Forum on WASH, chaired by Speaker of Parliament Anita Among on Monday.
Dr. Herbert Nabaasa, Commissioner of Health Services in the Ministry of Health, emphasized the critical need for intervention, noting that inadequate WASH services not only strain community resources but also burden the State with healthcare costs.
“We are losing UGX4 trillion every year as a result of inattention to WASH. Communities struggle with health costs, and the State spends excessively on treatment and health infrastructure. It’s a problem that demands urgent action,” said Dr. Nabaasa.
Dr. Nabaasa outlined the severe health implications of poor WASH access, including the death of 20,000 children under the age of five annually due to diarrhea, and the link between malaria and unsanitary conditions. “We lose 33 children every day, largely due to preventable WASH-related diseases,” he added.
Ismael Mulindwa, Director of Basic and Secondary Education at the Ministry of Education, echoed these concerns, pointing out the dire situation in Uganda’s schools. He reported that only 53 percent of schools have access to safe drinking water, with 71 students often forced to share a single sanitation facility. “This is a crisis that jeopardizes the health and education of our 14 million learners,” Mulindwa stressed.
Speaker Anita Among called for decisive action to address the crisis, urging the Ministry of Education to close institutions without adequate water and sanitation facilities. “We must prioritize the health of our children. Schools without safe drinking water or proper toilets should be closed until they comply with WASH standards,” she asserted.
Highlighting her personal commitment to hygiene, Speaker Among referenced her own hospital’s sanitation standards, stating, “In my hospital, you don’t smell sickness the moment you walk in. Hygiene is non-negotiable; it’s about preventing people from getting sick in the first place. But there are hospitals that you go to, and the moment you enter the hospital, you smell the hospital and you become sick, so that kind of hygiene must be looked at.”
As the cost of inadequate WASH facilities continues to weigh heavily on Uganda, leaders across sectors are pushing for urgent investment in water and sanitation infrastructure to prevent avoidable deaths and healthcare expenses.
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