The ministry of education and sports together with the ministry of health, have joined efforts to promote hand hygiene in both schools and health institutions.
During the NATIONAL DIALOGUE ON SCALING UP HAND WASHING WITH SOAP IN THE COUNTRY in October 2023, officials from both ministries spoke passionately about the importance of hand hygiene.
Musa Birungi from the ministry of education, started by highlighting the importance of hand hygiene.
“Hand hygiene is important in schools to prevent the spread of infectious illnesses. Better hand hygiene is an effective and affordable way to prevent diseases and save lives meaning better wellbeing which ultimately leads to improved grades, better learner and staff wellbeing and engagement,” Birungi said.
“Proper hand hygiene is a simple step to ensure learners are not suffering from ill health to ensure they attain their full potential holistically on a day today basis. One of the most important ways learners and staff can stay healthy is by keeping their hands hygienically clean,” he added.
According to Birungi, however much as the school stakeholders including learners know they should wash their hands, their adherence is still low and therefore more effort is needed to educate them so as to improve the risk/ gaps associated to it.
“It is against this background that the Government of Uganda/ MoES has put in place interventions to improve the status quo,” Birungi said.
Birungi announced that the ministry had put in place structures and frameworks to aid with handwashing.
“There is a WASH hub chaired by MoES and an MHM committee chaired by MoES. There are WASH guidelines in place, operational and maintenance guidelines and MHM guidelines. In addition, there are wash training guidelines and an MHM Manual,” Burungi said.
“All the above emphasize hand washing at different times ie after play, after visiting the toilet, after shaking hands with infected persons, after changing sanitary pads, before and after food etc. It is important to engage all stakeholders at school level and community to embrace hand washing,” he added.
Below is what the ministry of education has done in line with hand hygiene.
WASH situational analysis and mapping
Development of guidelines on WASH and MHM
Circulars to schools to adhere to and support WASH interventions
GoU fund to ensure availability of hand wash facilities in schools and sanitisers- COVID
Development of manuals, readers and wall charts on WASH, MHM, key family care practices, etc
Dialogues with school and community stakeholders to emphasize WASH aspects
Engagement with Parliamentary forum on WASH.
Supported WASH clubs formation, strengthening and management at school level using the sector guidelines.
Engagement and mentorship of learners in over 100 districts with support from different partners.
Birungi also highlighted the ministry’s plan of action in a bid to improve handwashing.
Accessible Handwashing Stations
Ensure that handwashing stations are readily available in all school premises, with sinks and soap dispensers strategically placed.
Handwashing Education
Teach learners proper handwashing techniques, emphasizing thorough handwashing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds during parades and assemblies and lessons
Regular Handwashing Breaks
Implement scheduled handwashing breaks to reinforce the habit, especially before meals and after using the restroom.
Hand Sanitizers
Provide hand sanitizers as a supplementary measure, especially in areas where handwashing facilities may not be easily accessible.
Monitoring and Supervision
Assign responsible adults, such as teachers and staff, to ensure students are washing their hands correctly and regularly.
Creating a Positive Handwashing Environment
Make handwashing enjoyable for learners by incorporating creativity,lifeskilling ,fun, MDD, essay writing, quizzes and engaging materials like colorful posters.
Involving Parents and Guardians
Encourage parents to support handwashing at home and school, sharing information and tips for reinforcing the habit.
Handwashing Campaigns
Organize awareness campaigns within the school, using posters, videos, and interactive activities to promote hand hygiene.
Regular Maintenance
Ensure handwashing facilities are clean and functional through regular maintenance and quick repairs as needed.
Data Collection and Analysis – Collect and analyze data on handwashing compliance to make informed decisions and track progress in promoting good hygiene practices.
In his conclusion, Birungi said: “These initiatives will collectively contribute to a healthy and hygienic friendly school environment by fostering proper handwashing habits among learners and staff, thereby reducing the spread of illnesses and promoting overall well-being and performance in schools.”
From the ministry of health, Bosco Okia, the Principal Health Inspector, emphasized why hand hygiene for both health workers, caregiver, patients and the public is important.
“During care delivery or day to day chores, the hands of health workers/ public are contaminated by potentially harmful microbes (also referred to as germs), from different sources. Some of these may be capable of causing and contributing to outbreaks and some may be resistant to antibiotics,” Okia said.
“Hand hygiene stops the spread of these microbes – it protects patients and staff. Achieving hand hygiene at the right times is still a challenge everywhere,” he added.
Okia said hand hygiene stands at various levels in health institutions, with an overall performance level of 46.70%. “Effective hand hygiene improvement strategies can prevent up to 50% of avoidable infections in health care and generate economic savings,” Okia stated.
The official did not miss highlighting the five golden rules of hand hygiene in health centres.
- Hand hygiene must be performed at the point-of-care*
- During care delivery, there are five moments when it is essential to perform hand hygiene
- Hand rubbing with an alcohol-based formulation, if available, makes hand hygiene possible at the point of care, is faster, more effective and better tolerated
- Hand washing with soap and water is necessary when hands are visibly soiled
- The appropriate technique and time taken to clean hands is also important
Okia also illustrated the World Health Organisation multimodal improvement strategy. “The infrastructure and resources available to perform hand hygiene, including water, sinks, alcohol hand rub.”
People should be trained in why, when and how for hand hygiene. Checks should be in place to monitor whether it is being/can be performed at the right time & in the right way & timely feedback so that corrective action can be addressed,” the official said.
Reminding people to perform hand hygiene, at the right time and in the right way as well as a culture within a care facility that values hand hygiene, especially the support of managers and supervisors were the other elements of the improvement strategy.
Okia noted that the hand hygiene drive had a funding gap of sh9b.
In his final remarks, Okia said: “Without timely and effective hand hygiene, health for all (quality care) will not be realized. An enabling environment (i.e. WASH) supports hand hygiene at the right times & in the right way.”
“Adopting & adapting a multimodal strategy will improve hand hygiene access and behaviors. Hand hygiene can act as the ‘entrance door’ to wider IPC improvements and relevant WASH indicators,” he further said.
According to Okia, “Hand hygiene is a key performance indicator in reducing the burden of antimicrobial resistance, outbreaks and all avoidable health care associated infections.”
