In Andhra Pradesh, while all 7,458 sub centres have toilets, none of them have separate toilets for men and women.
Overall, Kerala and Telangana have the highest percentage of government hospitals without sex-separated toilets (86 per cent each), followed by Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat.
In 21 states and Union Territories more than 50 per cent rural hospitals don’t have separate toilets for men and women. The overall figure includes data for sub centres, PHCs and CHCs.
SOME EVEN DON’T HAVE REGULAR WATER SUPPLY
While toilets are essential for patient care and wellbeing of hospital staff, there are thousands of government health units in rural India which don’t even have regular water supply.
As on March 31, 2018, there were 26,360 sub centres and 1,313 primary health centres in rural India that did not have a regular source of water.
Stressing on the need of water supply at health care facilities, the WHO says availability of sufficient quantities of safe water is important for health centres to provide quality services.
“Without water, a health care facility isn’t a health care facility. Water is essential for cleaning rooms, beds, floors, toilets, sheets and laundry. It is central to patient experiences of health care, as it enables them to remain hydrated, to clean themselves, and to reduce the risk of infections,” WHO says in a 2019 report on health care.
“No one goes to a hospital to get sick. People go there to get better. Yet, hundreds of millions of people face an increased risk of infection by seeking care in health facilities that lack basic necessities, including water, sanitation and hygiene.
The WHO estimates that globally around 25 per cent health care facilities don’t have basic water services impacting around 2 billion people.
Data for India show 45 per cent PHCs in Jharkhand are functioning without regular water supply, while in Nagaland and Manipur the figures are 44 and 43 per cent, respectively.