Only 16% of Ghana Health Facilities Meet Basic Sanitation Standard — WHO/UNICEF

When someone goes to a hospital, the first things that usually come to mind are doctors, nurses, medicines and treatment.

But there is another part of healthcare that is easy to overlook: the condition of the facility itself.

A new WHO and UNICEF assessment suggests Ghana still has a significant gap to close in that area.

Only 16% of health-care facilities in Ghana met the basic sanitation standard in 2025, according to the latest data. Meanwhile, 74% had limited sanitation services and 10% had no sanitation service at all.

That means that for many people seeking medical care, access to an appropriate and usable sanitation facility cannot simply be taken for granted.

What does the 16% figure actually mean?

The figure does not mean that only 16% of Ghanaian health facilities have toilets.

The standard used by WHO and UNICEF goes beyond simply having a toilet in a building.

A facility needs appropriate, improved and usable sanitation facilities, including provisions for staff, separate facilities for men and women, menstrual hygiene needs and accessibility for people with limited mobility.

So a health centre may have toilets but still fall short of the basic sanitation standard.

That distinction is important when looking at the figures.

The numbers are difficult to ignore

According to the assessment:

• 16% of facilities had basic sanitation services.
• 74% had limited sanitation services.
• 10% had no sanitation service.

The figures show that the challenge is not limited to a few facilities in isolated communities.

It is a broader healthcare infrastructure issue.

And sanitation is only one part of the problem.

A hospital needs more than doctors and medicines

Good healthcare is not only about what happens inside the consulting room or operating theatre.

Patients also need clean water, places to wash their hands, proper toilets, appropriate waste disposal and a clean environment.

Without these basics, hospitals and clinics can become more difficult places for both patients and health workers.

For someone with a disability, an inaccessible toilet can turn a simple visit to a health facility into a serious challenge.

For women and girls, inadequate sanitation can also create problems around privacy and menstrual hygiene.

These are basic needs, not extras.

The problem goes beyond sanitation

The wider WHO/UNICEF assessment also looked at other essential services in healthcare facilities.

Globally, 85% of health facilities had basic water services in 2025, while 72% had basic hygiene services and 71% had basic health-care waste management services.

Only 59% met the basic standard for environmental cleaning.

The figures show that sanitation should not be viewed in isolation.

Clean water, hand hygiene, waste management and environmental cleaning all contribute to a safer healthcare environment.

What does this mean for Ghana?

The figures should encourage a broader conversation about what Ghana considers when measuring healthcare progress.

Building or upgrading a health facility is important.

So is putting doctors, nurses and other professionals there.

But the facility itself must also provide a safe environment for patients and staff.

That means investment in toilets, water systems, handwashing facilities, waste management and regular maintenance cannot be treated as an afterthought.

The government and its development partners have ongoing programmes aimed at improving water, sanitation and hygiene services across Ghana.

But the latest figures suggest that much more work remains.

Behind every percentage is a person

It is easy to read 16% and move on.

But think about the patient behind the number.

It could be an elderly person who needs an accessible toilet.

It could be a mother who has spent hours at a hospital with her sick child.

It could be a woman who needs a clean and private facility.

Or it could be a nurse or other health worker spending an entire shift in an environment that lacks basic services.

For those people, sanitation is not just a statistic.

It affects their comfort, dignity and, potentially, their safety.

Healthcare should include the basics

Ghana's healthcare challenges are often discussed in terms of medicines, specialist doctors, equipment and hospital beds.

Those conversations are necessary.

But the latest figures provide another reminder: the basics matter too.

A health facility should be a place where people can receive treatment without worrying about whether they have access to a clean, usable and safe toilet.

With only 16% of Ghana's health facilities meeting the basic sanitation standard in 2025, there is a clear gap that needs attention.

Improving healthcare, therefore, should not only mean treating people when they become sick.

It should also mean creating health facilities where people can receive that care with dignity.

Global Pulse GH will continue to follow developments in Ghana's healthcare sector and public health infrastructure.