Abuja: Isolo General Hospital (IGH) on Tuesday organized a comprehensive training session for its health workers focused on hand hygiene, in commemoration of the 2026 World Hand Hygiene Day. The Medical Director of the hospital, Dr. Olugbenga Oseni, emphasized the hospital’s commitment to continuously train and retrain its staff in this crucial area.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Dr. Oseni highlighted that the theme for the 2026 Hand Hygiene Day, ‘Action Saves Life’, underscores the importance of hand hygiene, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. He noted that maintaining proper hand hygiene is essential for combating the spread of infections, including COVID-19, and plays a vital role in protecting both healthcare providers and patients.
Dr. Oseni stated, “We have continued to train and retrain our health workers in IGH, and we have a new training session which I informed the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) unit to align with today’s session of training for staff.” He further explained that practices such as hand washing, using hand sanitizers, and wearing gloves are critical measures to prevent the transmission of infections. These practices significantly reduce the risk of spreading infections, even among patients or individuals who are already infected.
The IPC committee at IGH has been actively monitoring compliance levels, particularly among new staff members. Efforts are being made to update these individuals on the importance of hand hygiene and to ensure they have the necessary resources to adhere to these practices.
Dr. Safiyyah Miftah, the IPC Focal Person at IGH and a Consultant Family Physician, reiterated the significance of hand hygiene as a cost-effective intervention for preventing communicable diseases. She noted that while awareness was high during the epidemic due to extensive promotions, the current awareness level has diminished. She emphasized the need to remind people that hand hygiene is a continuous practice, essential for infection prevention both in hospitals and at home.
The training session also featured insights from Dr. Funmilola Showunmi, a Consultant Paediatrician and Head of the Pediatrics Department at IGH. Dr. Showunmi educated healthcare workers on the proper steps of hand washing, the necessity of using gloves without substituting them for hand washing, and the importance of compliance with hand hygiene practices. She also addressed the barriers to hand hygiene adherence and the critical ‘five moments for hand hygiene.’
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the training aimed to enhance compliance, raise awareness, and improve monitoring efforts within the hospital, ensuring that health workers are well-equipped to maintain high standards of hygiene in their practice.