All Systems Connect: Uniting experts and activists to address the challenges of water and health

Water, sanitation, and hygiene – or WASH – are critical for ensuring health and wellbeing, and therefore must be included in strategies to strengthen the health system. WASH forms the basis of a strong public health system, preventing the spread of illnesses and keeping the population healthy and out of the medical system; there are direct linkages between poor WASH and the transmission of variety of health issues including diarrheal diseases and neglected tropical diseases. Achieving Universal Health Coverage, building the basis of Primary Health Care, improving the quality of care and ensuring adequate infection prevention and control cannot be achieved without WASH services. The effects of climate change on WASH systems only exacerbate the problem, reversing progress and further threatening human health.

Despite the clear relationship between the two, WASH and global health are viewed into separate sectors, each with unique expertise and specific objectives. To bring these sectors into greater alignment, three primary entry points have been identified where WASH plays a critical role:

1. Robust, high-quality health systems
2. Disease prevention
3. Climate-resilient health systems

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