The Health and Social Services Minister and a UNICEF representative say nearly 66% of the Namibian population lack access to proper toilet facilities, with 50% using the bush to relief themselves. Dr Bernhard Haufiku and UNICEF Country Representative, Micaela de Sousa said this during the marking of Global Hand Washing Day at Keetmanshoop on Monday. In a speech read on her behalf, De Sousa expressed concern at Namibia’s failure to meet the Millennium Development Goals target on access to sanitation services. She told Nampa that Namibia was one of the countries with the lowest levels of sanitation coverage in southern Africa. De Sousa pointed out that one in five schools lacked toilet facilities, and nearly half of all health facilities lacked running water and soap. She said many diseases could be prevented by good hygiene, while hand washing alone could effectively kill germs and reduced incidences of running stomach by over 40%. Also in a speech read on his behalf, Haufiku said the use of the bucket system for human waste disposal, still practiced in the //Karas region, contributed to the spread of diarrhoeal diseases. He said the Government had prioritized the provision of safe water and proper sanitation in the latest development plans.