Facilities
By Tosin Kolade
Abuja, Aug. 2, 2018 (NAN) The Chairman, National Task Group on Sanitation, Mr Emmanuel Awe, has urged on the Federal and state Ministries of Health to construct hand washing facilities in health centres across the country.
Awe made the call at the meeting of members of the group in Abuja on Thursday.
‘‘We are also calling on the Federal and state Ministries of Health as well as in local governments to complement our efforts by constructing hand washing facilities in their health centres to promote hygiene practices,’’ he said.
He said the construction of such facilities would also prevent infections arising from poor hygiene practices.
The chairman noted that lack of hand washing facilities in health centres posed significant health risks to patients, health workers and nearby communities.
He said when such facilities were in place, they also would augment efforts of the Ministry of Water Resources to scale up hygiene promotion and practices in the country.
Awe noted that the construction of public toilets and provision of potable water in government programmes to scale up hygiene in the country.
According to him, there is need for sector collaboration and support from NGOs to monitor access and implementation to meet the Sustainable Development Goals before 2030.
Awe, who is also the Director, Water Quality Control and Sanitation,Ministry of Water Resources, expressed increased commitment of the Federal Government to improve Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) interventions in the country
Mrs Chizoba Opara, who gave report from the recent monitoring of FCT school access to water and sanitation facilities, bemoaned continuous lack of facilities in the territory.
She said the overall goal of the monitoring visit was to assess whether the training given to FCT teachers were stepped down.
Opara said it was saddening to note that most pupils did not receive the training on hand washing and use of the hand washing facilities.
According to her, majority of the teachers complained of vandalism of the facilities by community members who usually entered the schools, following the unavailability of perimeter fences.
‘‘Most of the schools we visited in the six area councils lacked access to water and hand washing facilities. It was also worthy to note that most communities used the available facilities.
‘‘We also observed that most schools have presence of open defecation in their environment, this is further seen with the lack of perimeter fences,’’ she said.
Opara called on the FCT Administration to seek ways to construct perimeter fences in schools.
She stressed that it was important for all schools to create friendly atmosphere with communities in the councils toward taking ownership of all their projects for the overall benefit of the society.
She also stressed the need to trigger the communities in the area councils on Community Led Total Sanitation,(CLTS), to boost behavioural change toward hygiene promotion. (NAN)
TAK/MOL/DUA
Edited by Mustapha Lamidi/Dada Ahmed