Problem Statement

One-fifth of the world’s infant deaths and one-sixth of maternal deaths occur in India. The government adopted policies and interventions to increase access to quality maternal and child healthcare services, which contributed to a decline in maternal and child deaths over the last two decades. However, the burden of mother and child survival remains exceptionally high, with India still having the highest number of infant deaths and second-highest number of maternal deaths globally. Maternal and child death disproportionately impact families living in extreme poverty, with social and cultural factors affecting accessibility to healthcare. While the Indian government has been successful at increasing childbirth in healthcare facilities, these efforts have not had the desired effect of significantly increasing maternal and infant survival, due to continued poor WASH conditions and practices at HCFs. At the most fundamental level, maternal and child survival in India remain a serious issue because healthcare providers need technical capacity building in safe hygiene as well as infection prevention and control standards and practices. Further, HCFs lack basic WASH infrastructure, including water systems, sanitation and hand-washing facilities, and proper medical waste disposal. While the national government has been proactive in making policies and standards, there is a lack of transparency and accountability to standards; evidence-based tools to address the problem; mechanisms for coordination; and effective governance at the state level, where implementation occurs. By strengthening coordination and accountability between levels of government, this project will achieve impactful change through improvements to the current system.