Inadequate sanitation in healthcare facilities: A comprehensive evaluation of toilets in major hospitals in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

BACKGROUND: Lack of access to functional and hygienic toilets in healthcare facilities (HCFs) is a significant public health issue in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), leading to the transmission of infectious diseases. Globally, there is a lack of studies characterising toilet conditions and estimating user-to-toilet ratios in large urban hospitals in LMICs. We conducted a cross-sectional study in 10-government and two-private hospitals to explore the availability, functionality, cleanliness, and user-to-toilet ratio in Dhaka, Bangladesh. METHODS: From Aug-Dec 2022, we undertook infrastructure assessments of toilets in selected hospitals. We observed all toilets and recorded attributes of intended users, including sex, disability status, patient status (in-patient/out-patient/caregiver) and/or staff (doctor/nurse/cleaner/mixed-gender/shared). Toilet functionality was defined according to criteria used by the WHO/UNICEF Joint-Monitoring Programme in HCFs. Toilet cleanliness was assessed, considering visible feces on any surface, strong fecal odor, presence of flies, sputum, insects, and rodents, and solid waste. RESULTS: Amongst 2875 toilets, 2459 (86%) were observed. Sixty-eight-percent of government hospital toilets and 92% of private hospital toilets were functional. Only 33% of toilets in government hospitals and 56% in private hospitals were clean. A high user-to-toilet ratio was observed in government hospitals' outpatients service (214:1) compared to inpatients service (17:1). User-to-toilet ratio was also high in private hospitals' outpatients service (94:1) compared to inpatients wards (19:1). Only 3% of toilets had bins for menstrual-pad disposal and <1% of toilets had facilities for disabled people. CONCLUSION: A high percentage of unclean toilets coupled with high user-to-toilet ratio hinders the achievement of SDG by 2030 and risks poor infection-control. Increasing the number of usable, clean toilets in proportion to users is crucial. The findings suggest an urgent call for attention to ensure basic sanitation facilities in Dhaka's HCFs. The policy makers should allocate resources for adequate toilets, maintenance staff, cleanliness, along with strong leadership of the hospital administrators.

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on caregiver mental health and the child caregiving environment in a low-resource, rural context.

Early child development has been influenced directly and indirectly by the COVID-19 pandemic, and these effects are exacerbated in contexts of poverty. This study estimates effects of the pandemic and subsequent population lockdowns on mental health, caregiving practices, and freedom of movement among female caregivers of children 6-27 months (50% female), in rural Bangladesh. A cohort (N = 517) was assessed before and during the pandemic (May-June, 2019 and July-September, 2020). Caregivers who experienced more food insecurity and financial loss during the pandemic reported larger increases in depressive symptoms (0.26 SD, 95% CI 0.08-0.44; 0.21 SD, 0.04-0.40) compared to less affected caregivers. Stimulating caregiving and freedom of movement results were inconsistent. Increases in depressive symptoms during the pandemic may have consequences for child development.

An Antimony Selenide Molecular Ink for Flexible Broadband Photodetectors.

The need for low-cost high-performance broadband photon detection with sensitivity in the near infrared (NIR) has driven interest in new materials that combine high absorption with traditional electronic infrastructure (CMOS) compatibility. Here, we demonstrate a facile, low-cost and scalable, catalyst-free one-step solution-processed approach to grow one-dimensional Sb2Se3 nanostructures directly on flexible substrates for high-performance NIR photodetectors. Structural characterization and compositional analyses reveal high-quality single-crystalline material with orthorhombic crystal structure and a near-stoichiometric Sb/Se atomic ratio. We measure a direct band gap of 1.12 eV, which is consistent with predictions from theoretical simulations, indicating strong NIR potential. The fabricated metal-semiconductor-metal photodetectors exhibit fast response (on the order of milliseconds) and high performance (responsivity ~ 0.27 A/W) as well as excellent mechanical flexibility and durability. The results demonstrate the potential of molecular-ink-based Sb2Se3 nanostructures for flexible electronic and broadband optoelectronic device applications.

Self-powered p-NiO/n-ZnO heterojunction ultraviolet photodetectors fabricated on plastic substrates.

A self-powered ultraviolet (UV) photodetector (PD) based on p-NiO and n-ZnO was fabricated using low-temperature sputtering technique on indium doped tin oxide (ITO) coated plastic polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates. The p-n heterojunction showed very fast temporal photoresponse with excellent quantum efficiency of over 63% under UV illumination at an applied reverse bias of 1.2 V. The engineered ultrathin Ti/Au top metal contacts and UV transparent PET/ITO substrates allowed the PDs to be illuminated through either front or back side. Morphology, structural, chemical and optical properties of sputtered NiO and ZnO films were also investigated.

High-performing visible-blind photodetectors based on SnO2/CuO nanoheterojunctions.

We report on the significant performance enhancement of SnO2 thin film ultraviolet (UV) photodetectors (PDs) through incorporation of CuO/SnO2p-n nanoscale heterojunctions. The nanoheterojunctions are self-assembled by sputtering Cu clusters that oxidize in ambient to form CuO. We attribute the performance improvements to enhanced UV absorption, demonstrated both experimentally and using optical simulations, and electron transfer facilitated by the nanoheterojunctions. The peak responsivity of the PDs at a bias of 0.2 V improved from 1.9 A/W in a SnO2-only device to 10.3 A/W after CuO deposition. The wavelength-dependent photocurrent-to-dark current ratio was estimated to be ~ 592 for the CuO/SnO2 PD at 290 nm. The morphology, distribution of nanoparticles, and optical properties of the CuO/SnO2 heterostructured thin films are also investigated.