GOTHENBURG, Sweden, April 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Getinge announces a partnership with the international organization WaterAid. Their joint effort aim at contributing in the important work to ensure availability and sustainable management of clean water, sanitation and hygiene in health care facilities.

Nurse Peu Aranhya, 30, washes his hands at a sink. Thmor Kol Referral Hospital, Battambang, Cambodia. Photo: WaterAid/Tom Greenwood

Access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene are some of the most basic and crucial requirements for hospitals to provide sustainable health care and lower the risks of spreading bacteria and viruses. It might sound like a given but in fact one out of four health care facilities globally^[i] lack access to clean water, and about 45 percent in Least Developed Countries. As a result, hundreds of millions of people each year are affected by health care accuired infections (HCAI).^[ii]

At Getinge, Infection control has been a core part of the business for decades. Solutions for the Central Sterile Services Departments (CSSDs), where medical instruments are cleaned, disinfected and sterilized are among the world's best in preventing infections.

By teaming up with WaterAid, Getinge wants to contribute to health care and the society, and support the Sustainable Development Goals 3 and 6: to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages and ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.

"At Getinge we are proud to support WaterAid, especially in these worrying times when the coronavirus keep spreading around the globe and putting a massive amount of pressure on hospitals, patients and caregivers," says Magnus Lundbäck, Executive Vice President Human Resources and Sustainability at Getinge. "In this partnership we will bring our voice and knowledge and together do what we can to contribute to improved access of clean water, sanitation and hygiene in the world's poorest communities. Having that access should be a given for all patients seeking help as well as for hospital staff."

Today, thousands of people all over the world get ill because they are being treated at hospitals without clean water, nor the possibility for doctors and nurses to wash their hands with water and soap, or to sterilize medical instruments.

"As a result, people are dying, health care systems are collapsing and antimicrobial resistance is spreading. This is unacceptable, and by partnering with WaterAid, Getinge shows how committed they are to improving the situation," says Cecilia Chatterjee-Martinsen, Chief Executive at WaterAid Sweden.

WaterAid have so far helped more than 28 million people in some of the world's poorest communities to get access to clean water, and more than 28 million to get access to sanitation. The partnership with Getinge will enable even more efforts around the globe, to find new ways of establishing practical and sustainable water, sanitation and hygiene solutions that fulfill the local needs.

Read more about WaterAid's work >>

For more information, please contact:

About WaterAid

WaterAid is working to make clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene normal for everyone, everywhere within a generation. The international not-for-profit organisation works in 34 countries to change the lives of the poorest and most marginalised people. Since 1981, WaterAid has reached more than 28 million people with clean water and more than 28 million people with decent toilets. For more information, visit www.wateraid.se or www.wateraid.org.

About Getinge

With a firm belief that every person and community should have access to the best possible care, Getinge provides hospitals and life science institutions with products and solutions aiming to improve clinical results and optimize workflows. The offering includes products and solutions for intensive care, cardiovascular procedures, operating rooms, sterile reprocessing and life science. Getinge employs over 10,000 people worldwide and the products are sold in more than 135 countries.

^[i] https://washdata.org/sites/default/files/documents/reports/2019-04/JMP-2019-wash-in-hcf.pdf

^[ii] https://www.who.int/gpsc/country_work/burden_hcai/en/

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SOURCE Getinge