“We can’t save you without clean water in healthcare centres” – Dr. Ofori-Boadu warns the public

Acting Director of the Institutional Care Division (ICD) at the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Lawrence Ofori-Boadu HAS issued a stark warning that health professionals cannot save lives in the absence of improved Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) services in health facilities.

According to him, the absence of improved WASH is a direct threat to patient survival.

“Without clean water in our healthcare centres, we can’t save you,” Dr. Ofori-Boadu stated bluntly during his keynote address at the national launch of WaterAid Ghana’s “Time to Deliver” campaign in Accra.

His words underscored a grim reality for thousands of patients and frontline health workers across the country.

A Matter of Life and Death

Dr. Ofori-Boadu explained that water is not just a utility but a fundamental medical necessity. Noting that even the most skilled doctors and nurses are powerless against hospital-acquired infections if they cannot wash their hands, sterilize equipment, or maintain a clean environment.

He explained that health workers can provide quality service with clean water, then ultimately, fewer women and children may die if they have clean water running in healthcare facilities, adding that even though some may have some underlying issues and die, with clean water, the numbers will go down. Noting that every human being’s life starts with water.

Our midwives are not able to perform their deliveries to save our unborn children who are yet to enter the world. So mothers and babies die from infection because there is no clean water. Dr. Ofori-Boadu hinted.

“With clean water, we have a decent toilet. With clean water, we have good hygiene, with clean water, we have childbirth that is safe and dignified, and women are also very safe with clean water.

We talk about maternal and newborn health, but how do we ensure a safe delivery in a facility where there is no running water?” he questioned. We are fighting a losing battle against sepsis and antimicrobial resistance if the basic foundation of hygiene is missing,” the Acting Director of ICD-GHS reiterated.

But the solution is very, very simple, and that is what we want to put emphasis on today: clean water saves. With clean water, you have a decent environment.

The “Time to Deliver” Call to Action

The launch of the “Time to Deliver” campaign by WaterAid Ghana serves as an urgent plea to the government and international donors to prioritize gender-responsive financing for WASH.

The campaign highlights that approximately 25% of healthcare facilities in Ghana still lack basic water services. The disparity is even more alarming in rural areas; while the Greater Accra Region sees 92% coverage, the Upper East Region struggles with only 12%.

WaterAid Ghana Country Director, Madam Ewurabena Yanyi-Akofur, echoed Dr. Ofori-Boadu’s sentiments, calling on political leaders to move beyond promises.

“It is a matter of dignity and safety,” Madam Yanyi-Akofur said. “We are calling for an immediate scale-up in investments. We cannot wait until the next pandemic to realize that water is the first line of defense.”

The event concluded with a call for the public to sign a global petition urging the government to fulfill its commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically Goal 6, which aims to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all by 2030.

For Dr. Ofori-Boadu and the patients he represents, 2030 feels too far away. “The time to deliver is now,” he concluded. “Our lives depend on it.”

By: Franklin ASARE-DONKOH