Khuwi health care facility (HCF) under Ntchisi district hospital (DHO), has emerged number one towards promotion of sanitation and hygiene, it has been established.
Facility Incharge, Miss Joy Ngulube confirmed the news saying the workers have vowedvow to defend the recently won WaterAid in Malawi (WAMA) clean campaign trophy.
“The campaign has really helped improve on behavior change among community members and this will reduce water borne or faecal oral diseases such as cholera,” says Ngulube adding
“we will do our best to defend it as a team.”
At the moment, other facilities are far behind, and Khuwi HCF has adopted a checklist for self evaluation on a daily basis and HSAs on static clinics will be inspecting the facility to make sure everything is followed.
It becomes a relief now that Ntchisi DHO with the help from WaterAid in Malawi has trained other hygiene promoters at the facility.
“Every two days, these promoters will check if patients are following issues of hygiene as one way of self evaluation,” says Ngulube.
Khuwi has shown commitment and innovation in making sure that all clients who came to the hospital use clean toilets and also give information on how to not do the unhygienic behaviors.
Ntchisi District Council, Infection Prevention Coordinator Lest Longani presented the trophy saying the campaign aims to promote hygiene and recognise outstanding people whether health workers or volunteers for the job well done in maintaining an infection free hospital, both inside and outside with a positive client satisfaction demonstrated by change in hygiene behavior.
“They were rated after external supervision by a joint team from WaterAid and the DHO,” says Longani.
He said the assessment compares all the five (5) HCFs who are under the WaterAid in Malawi project in Ntchisi namely Khuwi, Mkhuzi, Mdinda, Kangolwa and Nthondo.
For Khuwi HCF to emerge winners, Ntchisi DHO and WaterAid in Malawi have been conducting monthly and quarterly supervisions using their checklist and score card.
Three quarters of the workers at Khuwi are hygiene promoters and that at toilets they improvise waste papers as tissues for patients as one internal initiative and that the hospital has running water, incinerator and ash pit through finding from Wimbledon Foundation in the United Kingdom.
Khuwi HCF was constructed in 1984 and it serves over 38,000 population in the district and Dowa boundaries.
