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The Department of Health (DH) today (May 5) highlighted the importance of hand hygiene in the prevention and control of infectious disease at a ceremony organised in support of the World Health Organisation's (WHO) "SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands" initiative.
The DH organised the ceremony in collaboration with the Hospital Authority to mark Hand Hygiene Awareness Day in Hong Kong.
Addressing the ceremony, the Secretary for Food and Health, Dr York Chow, said: "The practice of hand hygiene is of crucial importance in the prevention and control of healthcare-associated infection and prevention of transmission of drug-resistant bacteria. The benefit of hand hygiene was especially evident during the influenza pandemic."
Dr Chow said public hospitals, government clinics and health centres as well as many private hospitals in Hong Kong had taken positive steps in promoting hand hygiene using the WHO Guidelines on Hand Hygiene in Health Care.
Eight nursing homes have pioneered the adoption and adaptation of the WHO strategies to promote hand hygiene compliance, with an encouraging compliance rate of 80% measured four months after intervention.
At the ceremony, the Director-General of WHO, Dr Margaret Chan, thanked Hong Kong for its contribution to the WHO initiative. She said: "By rigorously testing the WHO hand hygiene improvement strategy in hospitals, Hong Kong has generated significant information on the feasibility, validity, and reliability of the interventions."
Also at the ceremony, the Chairman of WHO Patient Safety, Sir Liam Donaldson, said the leadership and achievement of Hong Kong in the implementation of hand hygiene best practice was recognised and admired by the WHO.
Also officiating at the ceremony, the Director of Health, Dr P Y Lam, stressed the importance of sustaining hand hygiene practices.
Dr Lam also thanked all parties concerned including members of the Task Force for Promotion of WHO Hand Hygiene Campaign, experts and representatives from the Government, the Hospital Authority, medical associations, private hospitals and the traditional Chinese medicine sector for their concerted efforts in promoting hand hygiene.
The Chairman of the Hospital Authority, Mr Anthony Wu; the Chief Executive of the Hospital Authority, Mr Shane Solomon; and the Controller of the Centre for Health Protection, Dr Thomas Tsang; were among the officiating guests.
Ends/Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Issued at HKT 18:53
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