THE Archbishop of Canterbury and the Pope are supporting a faith-led campaign to improve global health by providing hospitals and clinics with clean water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) — deemed critical to preventing the spread of disease.

The subject was the focus of an event that brought together more than 100 leaders, experts, and practitioners in Rome last week to discuss a “serious and solvable” health threat.

Global studies have found that, across 60 low-resource countries, 37 per cent lack basic water services, and 81 per cent lack basic sanitation, and that this is leading to a rise in infant morbidity and mortality, preventable illnesses and diseases, and antibiotic resistance and poverty, the Anglican mission agency USPG says.

Its general secretary, Canon Duncan Dormor, said: “A commitment to safe, sustainable water, sanitation, and hygiene is foundational to global health. Ensuring safe health facilities through WASH prevents infections, safeguards patients, improves outcomes for mothers and babies, and restores dignity to women and children, as well as building confidence in healthy systems and hospitals. It brings about a genuine transformation.”

Faith-based organisations deliver 30 to 50 per cent of healthcare services, operate a substantial share of facilities in some low-resource countries, and can often be the only provider, USPG says. The Roman Catholic Church, the largest unified health provider in the world, was the first to pilot a systemic initiative to incorporate WASH into its facilities, followed by initiatives by Anglicans, Methodists, and others.

The Anglican Communion Health and Community Network was a co-convener of the event. In a video statement, the Archbishop of Canterbury said: “As a former nurse, I know that clean water and sanitation are essential to safe and effective health care. I’m therefore encouraged by the work already under way to strengthen Anglican health facilities in several countries, with more to come.

“I pray that this meeting will help extend these efforts, bringing lasting improvements to more communities around the world.”

The Pope assured the meeting of his spiritual closeness to the participants and his blessing. He was “pleased to see so many organisations of various faith backgrounds working together on this pressing issue, and seeking to improve the living standards of our brothers and sisters”.