The Ministry of Health has stepped up efforts to improve water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services in healthcare facilities through stronger collaboration with development partners.
The ministry held talks with Water For People on September 2, 2026, focusing on measures to strengthen sanitation and hygiene standards in health facilities, improve environmental cleanliness, promote safe menstrual hygiene and enhance healthcare waste management.
The meeting, held at the Ministry of Health offices, brought together officials from the ministry’s Preventive Services Department and Environmental Health and Sanitation Unit, as well as representatives of Water For People.
A key area of discussion was the proposed development of selected health facilities in Mpwapwa District as demonstration centres for sustainable WASH practices.
The facilities would provide practical examples of how effective sanitation and hygiene systems can be implemented, while serving as training centres and generating evidence that could inform similar interventions in other parts of the country.
The approach is expected to help the government and its partners identify effective and sustainable solutions for improving sanitation in healthcare settings, where proper hygiene and waste management are essential to protecting patients, health workers and surrounding communities.
The ministry and Water For People also emphasised the need for closer coordination between the government and development partners to ensure investments in environmental health and sanitation are aligned with national priorities.
The discussions further highlighted the importance of ensuring that WASH investments produce lasting improvements rather than short-term interventions, particularly as Tanzania seeks to strengthen the quality and safety of healthcare services.
Improved WASH services in health facilities are critical to infection prevention and control, patient safety and the overall quality of care, making the planned demonstration centres potentially important models for wider adoption across the country.