Yogyakarta – Global Hand Hygiene’s Day is a global campaign promoted by WHO, UN, and other health organizations that raises the awareness of hand hygiene behavior (by washing our hand) as an effort to lower the death number, disease prevention, and nosocomial infection spread, resulting in decreasing human’s life quality. Hand Hygiene campaign is an effort to mobilize million people in the world to wash their hands.
Therefore, fitting the vision and mission of RS PKU Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta to provide Islamic, professional, quick, comfortable, and quality health care similar to other popular hospitals in Indonesia and in Asia, RS PKU Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta also participated in the campaign as a form of care towards the global issue.
In celebrating Global Hand Hygiene’s Day on October 15, RS PKU Muhammadiyah held events of staff meeting and inauguration of the ambassador for hand hygiene campaign. BadanPelaksanaHarian (BPH), the Board of Directors, Doctors, and all staffs of RS PKU Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta attended the event. In the opening speech by dr. JokoMurdiyanto as the Chief Director of RS PKU Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta, he reminded the attendees that bacteria spreading through hand touch could be the main reason for diseases in patients. This was caused by lack awareness on hand hygiene. Many people did not consider hand hygiene in before and after activities as important in the hospital area. In fact, hand hygiene had been proven to reduce the number of harmful bacteria through hand touch. “The implementation of hand hygiene should be a habit for patients’ safety and health,” he reaffirmed.
In accordance to Five Moments for Hand Hygiene, all staffs of RS PKU Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta should have the habit to implement hand hygiene before contacting the patients, before committing procedures to the patients, after contracting with the patients, after having bodily fluid contract with the patients, and after contracting within the hospital area. “Hand hygiene should be done by all people within the hospital area, including the visitors, security guards, and all hospital staffs. By washing our hands using soap or handrub liquid such as hand sanitizer,” explained IbuArifiana, IPCN RS PKU Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta in her opening speech.
There were six steps of hand hygiene as determined by WHO. The steps starts by spreading the soap by rubbing both hands, rubbing the back of the hand and between fingers, rubbing the palms and between fingers, rubbing the back of the hands by interlocking fingers, rubbing the left thumb by rotating it in the right hand grip and vice versa, finally, rubbing the fingertips of right hand by rotating it in the left hand palm and vice versa, then rinse it.
As a commitment towards Global Hand Hygiene’s Day, RS PKU Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta also appointed an ambassador for hand hygiene, releasing hot air balloon, demonstration on washing hand, and collecting signatures as collective commitment in hand hygiene. It was hoped that with hand hygiene campaign, the habit of hand hygiene could be enforced in RS PKU Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta and was followed by all hospital staffs. Also, for Indonesian people to raise their awareness on health, and it could be simply done by putting hand hygiene into habit. (dzar)