The WASH FIT program assists implementers in identifying potential risks within their operations and provides pragmatic instruments and models for implementing improvements in the domains of water, sanitation, and hygiene, as well as healthcare waste and facility management. This involves a multistep and iterative approach that includes establishing a WASH/IPC team, facility assessment and scoring, risk analysis, prioritization and improvement planning, implementation, and review. The tool exhibits openness for adaptation at the national level, thereby aligning with pre-existing country initiatives. Its implementation yields significant benefits in effectively addressing pertinent concerns. As of 2022, WASH FIT had been implemented in at least 40 countries (WHO, 2023), with varying focuses, including quality of care (QoC), maternal and newborn services, Ebola, and cholera, and has proven to be an effective tool for the improvement of WASH services in HCFs. After conducting a preliminary evaluation of 250 healthcare facilities with varying degrees of permanence in the Cox’s Bazaar settlement, WASH FIT was first implemented in Bangladesh in 2018. It resulted in a significant improvement in the percentage of indicators meeting standards, with an increase from 29% at baseline to 67% at end-line, on average. And thus, it is important to train relevant stakeholders in district-level HCFs in Bangladesh on WASHFIT for the improvement of WASH services and further national-level scale- up.
