By; Ibraheem Olasunkanmi Qoseem
Today, 5th of May, 2023, the Federal Medical Center Gusau held a campaign to sensitize her staffs and patients on importance of hand hygiene to celebrate World Hand Hygiene Day.
Speaking about the need for celebration, the Head of Department, Community Medicine, Dr Musa has said that the celebration was essential in order to join the global community to raise awareness on importance of hand washing and how its negligence contribute to public health challenges.
He also said that he believed doing this awareness on both theoretical and practical ways of washing hands will serve as a reminder on the good practice of hand washing and largely will equip the patients and patient relatives with handful of information on the vital roles of hand hygiene in their well-being.
Dr Musa Aminu who also doubled as Chairman Infection Control of the Hospital, expressed further that as simple as hand washing is, it can prevent 35- 70% of hospital acquired infections.
He however implored the clinicians to strictly adhere to the Five Moments of hand hygiene which are regularly washing of hands; before touching a patient, before aseptic procedure, after body fluid exposure risk, after touching a patient and after touching a patient surroundings.
The Head of Department, Pharmacy, Pharmacist Hauwa Ibraheem Bature in her contribution, she further charged the staffs and individuals that hand hygiene practice is beyond hospital environment. She advised everyone to have a personal hand sanitizer and affirmed the facility that the pharmacy department is ready to produce in mass if the resources are provided.
Dr Aminu in his vote of thanks, he described hand hygiene as the cost effective way of preventing infections. He appreciated the management for the initiative and for the provision of resources that encourages the hand hygiene practice. He also charged the management to sustain the measures against COVID-19 in order to forestall other imminent threat.
