“HAND WASHING IS A HEALTH BOOSTER AND LESS EXPENSIVE”- Water Resources Minister.

Another significant milestone have been recorded by Federal Ministry of Water Resources with collaborative efforts to implement the Sanitation and Hygiene Programme under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6.

Speaking at the occasion of “Public Presentation of Hand Hygiene For All (HH4A) Roadmap, held at Frazer Suites, Abuja, on 6th September, 2022, the Hon. Minister of Water Resources, Engr. Suleiman H. Adamu said that the hand hygiene culture is one of the determinants to healthcare. He said that proper hand hygiene is the single most important and least expensive means of reducing the prevalence of Health Care Associated Infections (HCA’s) and the spread of antimicrobial resistant diseases.

Adamu recalled that what triggered the Ministry’s quick response to the Covid 19 pandemic and the development of the National Hand Hygiene For All (HH4A) Roadmap with the support of WHO and UNICEF was acknowledging the fact that Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) are important aspect of human health and well being, and remains a fundamental human right to be accessible to everyone within or in the immediate vicinity of households, workplaces, health educational and public institutions.
Engr Adamu expressed satisfaction that the Roadmap has laid out a path for maximizing upcoming opportunities in the implementation of hand hygiene in homes, schools, health care facilities, transport hubs, workplaces, correctional centers.

Highlighting the objectives of the roadmap, Adamu said, ” this Roadmap will further increase the awareness of Nigerians on the developing initiatives for inclusive hand hygiene in all human context of existence in Nigeria”. He further revealed that the Ministry have developed the National Action Plan for the Revitalization of the WASH Sector with Presidential Declaration of a state of Emergency in the sector. Programs like PEWASH (Partnership For Expanded WASH) and ‘Clean Nigeria : Use the Toilet campaign to end open defecation by 2025 are all geared towards improving Sanitation and Hygiene.

While expressing gratitude to UNICEF, and the WHO for their maximum support in the development process in the Hand Hygiene Roadmap and acknowledging the continued collaborations of the National Task Group on Sanitation (NTGS), Development Partners and other line Ministries , the Minister reassured Nigerians that there concerted efforts for accessibility of basic and improved sanitation and Hygiene services.

Earlier, the Permanent Secretary of Federal Ministry of Water Resources, Mrs. Esther Didi Walson-Jack, MCIPM, mni said that the Roadmap when fully implemented will enhance the enabling environment for hygiene, provide effective contribution mechanism and strategically position hygiene in different sectors in Nigeria . She opined that the implementation will also identify the different roles and responsibilities of the stakeholders and increase demand and supply of hygiene products and Services in Nigeria.

The Development Partners, NEWSAN, OPS-WASH, Line Ministries in their various goodwill messages shared same view that collective implementation of the Roadmap will help in imbibing the habit of effective hand washing in specific places and will help in building a healthier nation.

Mrs Kenechukwu Offie
Director, Press and Public Relations
6th September, 2022