Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Palestine Technical University - Kadoorie, P. O. Box 7, Tulkarm, Palestine.
Institute of Environmental and Water Studies, Birzeit University, P. O. Box 14, Birzeit, Palestine.
Environ Monit Assess. 2021 Jan 7;193(1):41. doi: 10.1007/s10661-020-08791-4.
The availability of safe drinking water and the proper management of wastewater in healthcare facilities are important pillars for maintaining safety of workers, patients, and visitors and protecting human health and environment. Water and sanitation services at 495 healthcare facilities in the West Bank of Palestine are assessed using the results of PCBS and MoH (2014) survey study. Services are reassessed after the COVID-10 pandemic using personal interviews with experts from healthcare facilities, regulatory authorities, and service providers. The results show that 92.1% of healthcare facilities were connected to public water networks, 12.9% of them purchased water tanks, and 10.8% of them depended on harvested rainwater which may cause contamination and waterborne diseases. Regardless the source of freshwater, the water quality has to be regularly examined and compared to local guidelines and international standards for health promotion. Almost 63.4% of healthcare facilities were not connected to wastewater networks and used either tight or porous cesspits. Once these cesspits are filled off, wastewater is randomly disposed into nearby valleys causing adverse environmental impacts on air, water, and land resources. Medical wastewater of hazardous substances should be treated before discharged to wastewater networks. Experts assured that although heightened procedures have been made by service providers to curb the spread of the COVID-19 disease, yet, more consistent protocols and stringent procedures are crucial. There have not been any new directives or procedures regarding the management of water supplies and wastewater services in the healthcare facilities. Stakeholder collaboration can help prevent the COVID-19 disease.
在医疗机构中提供安全饮用水和妥善管理废水是维护工作人员、患者和访客安全以及保护人类健康和环境的重要支柱。利用巴勒斯坦中央统计局和卫生部（2014 年）调查研究的结果，评估了西岸 495 家医疗机构的水和卫生服务。在 COVID-19 大流行之后，通过对医疗机构、监管机构和服务提供商的专家进行个人访谈，对这些服务进行了重新评估。结果表明，92.1%的医疗机构接入了公共供水管网，12.9%的医疗机构购买了水箱，10.8%的医疗机构依赖于可能导致污染和水传播疾病的雨水收集。无论淡水的来源如何，都必须定期检查水质，并与促进健康的地方准则和国际标准进行比较。近 63.4%的医疗机构没有接入废水管网，而是使用密封或多孔化粪池。一旦这些化粪池填满，废水就会被随意排放到附近的山谷中，对空气、水和土地资源造成不利的环境影响。含有危险物质的医疗废水应在排入废水管网之前进行处理。专家们保证，尽管服务提供商已经采取了更高的程序来遏制 COVID-19 疾病的传播，但更一致的协议和更严格的程序至关重要。医疗机构的供水和废水服务管理方面没有任何新的指令或程序。利益相关者的合作可以帮助预防 COVID-19 疾病。
