Global Health NOW: Safe Surgery — and UHC — Hinge on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene
James C. Cobey, orthopedic surgeon, epidemiologist, and founding board member of The G4 Alliance

“…While performing surgery in many developing countries in Africa, the Caribbean, and Asia, I have often had to boil water first. I’ve seen enough broken water pumps littering healthcare facilities, and empty water tanks for lack of pipes and safe water sources, to last a lifetime. … It is in all our interests to cure this obvious barrier to delivering basic safe care. … Cooperative partnerships between health, development, water, and finance people must be formed at all levels — from high up among multilateral institutions and government ministries, down to the local health clinic and village administrators — to fill the gaps in budgets, compliance, training, and especially important, installing, repairing, and maintaining missing and crumbling WASH infrastructure” (9/23).