By: Chioma Madonna Ndukwu
The Lagos State Primary Health Care Board (LSPHCB) and the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with WaterAid Nigeria, have trained 48 healthcare officers from the six health districts in Lagos State on the use of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Facility Improvement Tools (WASHFITs).
The WASH FIT tool is a practical assessment framework designed to evaluate and improve water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) practices within healthcare facilities, aiming to ensure clean and safe environments for both staff and patients by identifying areas for improvement and prioritizing actions to address them through a structured plan.
The three-day workshop, funded by Kimberly Clark, aimed to enhance the capacity of healthcare workers to understand and implement WASHFITs was held in Ikeja, Lagos State.
The programme also focused on developing a Monitoring and Evaluation system to address the needs of healthcare organizations effectively.
Speaking to newsmen on the sidelines of the workshop, Dr. Medinat Akiolu, Disease Control Program Officer at LSPHCB, emphasized the critical role of clean water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) in ensuring effective healthcare delivery.
Dr. Akiolu highlighted the importance of maintaining cleanliness to prevent infections, promote public health, and support social and economic development.
Also speaking, Dr. Alao Adebayo, Head of WaterAid Nigeria’s Lagos Programme, noted that the Organization has made significant investments in WASHFITs, including the rehabilitation of two primary health centres in Ojodu and Ikorodu North.
“These centres serve as models for the Lagos State government to adopt for comprehensive and inclusive WASH facilities,” Adebayo said.
He explained that the training stemmed from evidence-based assessments identifying gaps in Lagos State’s healthcare sector.
He called on the Lagos State government to invest further in WASH infrastructures in healthcare facilities.
He also encouraged participants to cascade their knowledge to other healthcare workers in the state.
Dr Adefolarin Opawoye, Consultant on infectious Diseases, said that the training is to have an updated knowledge of WASH, and the approach is to teach the participants the use of the WASHFIT assessment tool.
Opawoye said that the whole idea is for each of the participants to be able to have the capacity to do the WASH assessment of the facility and be able create a WASH improvement work plan.
Dr Tanimowo Ishola, the Medical Officer of Health, Ojodu LGA, commended WaterAid for the training.
“They have walked the talk. They are bringing in a culture of saving lives through imbibing the culture of handwashing,” Ishola said.
Other participants at the workshop expressed appreciation to WaterAid Nigeria’s support and pledged to apply their newly acquired knowledge to foster collaborative learning environments.
They committed to empowering other health workers with skills in data collection and the application of WASHFITs indicators.
As part of the training, participants conducted fieldwork in four primary health centers in Ikorodu, Ojodu, Ikeja, and Surulere using the seven WASHFITs indicators—Water, Sanitation, Healthcare Waste, Hand Hygiene, Environmental Cleaning, Energy and Environment, and Management and Workforce—they carried out on-the-spot assessments.
This initiative reflects a significant step toward improving the quality of healthcare facilities in Lagos State through enhanced WASH infrastructure and practices.
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