29% of Nigerian hospitals lack access to water, sanitation

*UNICEF, Save the Children, Wateraid demonstrate how procedure prevents diarrhoea, pneumonia

As part of activities to celebrate the Global Hand Washing Day (GHD), Save the Children’s Stop Diarrhoea Initiative project has emphasised the importance of teaching children the right method to wash their hands.

To demonstrate this, 600 school children washed their hands with soap simultaneously reiterating the importance of hand washing in preventing childhood killer disease.

Save the Children’s project, “Stop Diarrhoea Initiative” is implemented in collaboration with the Lagos State Government, with support from Reckitt Benckiser.

This initiative seeks to demonstrate the efficacy of the Word Health Organisation (WHO)/United Nation Children Education Fund (UNICEF) recommended seven point plan for diarrhoea prevention among children under five years old. Hand washing is a core element of the seven-point plan. It underscores the importance of hand washing in the prevention of childhood killer infection such as diarrhoea and pneumonia. Also, a recent report by WaterAid Nigeria has revealed that 29percent of hospitals and clinics in Nigeria lack access to water, sanitation and hygiene facilities.

Even has it revealed that one in three schools around the world do not have regular access to water, basic private toilets, or a way to wash hands with soap and an estimated 443 million school days are lost every year because of water-related illnesses. While renewing its call for action to improve water, sanitation and hygiene in schools and healthcare facilities as the world commemorate Global Handwashing Day, WaterAid statistics also revealed that 50 percent of schools in Sub-Saharan Africa are without access to water noting that access to water, sanitation and hygiene at school is a matter of gender equality.

According to the report, “Girls are more likely to miss lessons or drop out completely once they start menstruating if their school does not have a decent toilet where they can change menstrual cloths in dignity and privacy; in fact 1 in 10 adolescent girls in Africa miss school during their menstruation and eventually drop out due to a lack of gender-friendly toilet facilities.”