With a new United Nations resolution on water, sanitation, hygiene, electricity, and waste in healthcare facilities, it is time for a logical framing and consistent vocabulary

Darcy M Anderson¹, Jamie Bartram^{1

2}, Lucy K Tantum¹, Argaw Ambelu³, Mary Eyram Ashinyo^{4

5}, Holystone Kafanikhale⁶, Ryan Cronk¹

Affiliations

¹ The Water Institute, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America.
² School of Civil Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom.
³ Division of Water and Health, Ethiopian Institute of Water Resources, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
⁴ Department of Quality Assurance, Institutional Care Division, Ghana Health Service Headquarters, Accra, Ghana.
⁵ Department of Maternal and Child Health, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America.
⁶ Malawi Ministry of Health and Population, Lilongwe, Malawi.

Darcy M Anderson et al. PLOS Sustain Transform. 2025 Jan.

. 2025 Jan;4(1):e0000153.

doi: 10.1371/journal.pstr.0000153. Epub 2025 Jan 3.

Darcy M Anderson¹, Jamie Bartram^{1

2}, Lucy K Tantum¹, Argaw Ambelu³, Mary Eyram Ashinyo^{4

5}, Holystone Kafanikhale⁶, Ryan Cronk¹

¹ The Water Institute, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America.
² School of Civil Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom.
³ Division of Water and Health, Ethiopian Institute of Water Resources, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
⁴ Department of Quality Assurance, Institutional Care Division, Ghana Health Service Headquarters, Accra, Ghana.
⁵ Department of Maternal and Child Health, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America.
⁶ Malawi Ministry of Health and Population, Lilongwe, Malawi.

No abstract available

Figures

1. United Nations General Assembly. Sustainable, safe and universal water, sanitation, hygiene, waste and electricity services in health-care facilities. A/RES78/130. Available from: https://www.undocs.org/A/RES/78/130
1. Hedden H. The accidental taxonomist. 2nd ed. Information Today; 2016. 10.5555/3003160 - DOI
1. WHO/UNICEF. Core questions and indicators for monitoring WASH in healthcare facilities in the Sus tainable Development Goals; 2018. Available from: https://washdata.org/monitoring/health-care-facilities
1. Adams J, Bartram J, Chartier Y. Essential environmental health standards in health care. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2008.
1. WHO. Guidelines on core components of infection prevention and control programmes at the national and acute health care facility level. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2016.