KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 8 — World Health Organization (WHO) leaders have thanked Health Minister Dr Adham Baba for participating in the United Nations agency’s handwashing campaign to counter Covid-19 transmission.
WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus tweeted his thanks to Dr Adham, after WHO regional director for the Western Pacific, Dr Takeshi Kasai, posted a Ministry of Health (MOH) video of Dr Adham demonstrating safe handwashing techniques as part of Malaysia’s hand hygiene campaign.
“Also adding my thanks to @DrAdhamBaba, Health Minister #Malaysia for joining the #SafeHands challenge. Together, against #COVID19!” Tedros tweeted today.
WHO launched its #SafeHands Challenge last March to promote hand hygiene, as well as handwashing and handrubbing techniques, to prevent the spread of Covid-19.
MOH’s video released last August on Malaysia’s hand hygiene campaign features Dr Adham illustrating the six steps in washing one’s hands properly (watch from minute 3:05 onwards).
He also said Malaysia joined in 2006 the Global Patient Safety Challenge initiated by WHO and has since promoted hand hygiene among health care workers, including listing it as a key performance indicator at all MOH facilities.
Malaysia had the largest number of health facilities, at 150 hospitals, joining WHO’s 2015/ 2016 Hand Hygiene Self-Assessment Framework Survey among 91 participating countries.
National data, according to Dr Adham, showed the rate of hand hygiene compliance among health care workers rising from 56.6 per cent in 2008 to 83.2 per cent in 2019.
“Hand hygiene has always been considered by the experts as the single most effective infection control measure,” said Dr Adham in his video.
“Effective hand hygiene practice among health care providers reduces the rate of health care associated infections, multidrug resistant organisms, as well as emerging diseases such as Covid-19.”
