By Yemi Olakitan
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed by the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and the Ministry of Health to enhance access to WASH in all government-owned hospitals across the nation.
In order to put a stop to open defecation in the nation, the MoU sets precise roles and obligations for each ministry.
This was announced in a statement made on Tuesday, March 14, 2023 in Abuja by the Minister of Water Resources, Alhaji Suleiman Adamu.
He said that it was necessary for everyone to change the depressing story of the rising death rate brought on by WASH problems.
The following are the results of a survey conducted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
The preparation of the National Action Plan for the Revitalization of the WASH Sector and the Presidential Declaration of State of Emergency on the Sector, among other interventions, were among those the ministry had started, according to him.
He expressed confidence that, if sustained, the programme for communal participation and partnership between the two ministries will increase access to WASH services throughout the nation.
He stated that the problems with water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) have an effect on many other fields, including the economy, health, and education.
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He said that the Primary Health Care facilities were the main focus of the Health WASH Programme, which was created to assess WASH needs and close the service gap in all healthcare institutions.
According to the minister, the Federal Government is setting an excellent example by offering sufficient WASH services to its own managed healthcare facilities.
It is anticipated that the Health WASH initiative will act as a driver for boosting investment in healthcare facilities, resulting in universal wash coverage in childcare facilities.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) outlines the parties’ obligations as well as the frameworks for coordination, delivery, financing, monitoring, and evaluation of the programme. It is being left behind for the incoming Administration to continue the sector’s advancement.
Dr. Osagie Ehanire, the minister of health, claimed that having access to clean water will significantly lower the alarmingly rising mortality rates brought on by subpar hygiene services.
He asserted that diarrhoea and malaria account for 60% of baby fatalities and that poor sanitation, low water quality, and stagnant unclean water are the main causes of these diseases.
Ehanire highlighted that the Health WASH initiative would improve the nation’s standing on a worldwide scale and supply clean water to primary healthcare facilities all around the nation.
“The surgery had already failed before it began if a doctor was getting ready to operate on a patient and did not have enough water to even wash his hands.”
He claimed that the partnership made sense because problems with WASH services and the challenges facing the health sector were connected.
The minister urged long-term collaborations to advance the industry.
