WASH IN HEALTH CARE FACILITIES PROGRAM
In 2021, Maji Safi Group joined the global movement to mitigate the barriers to proper WASH practices that currently exist at many health care facilities (HCFs).
To improve well-being and reduce disease rates, we are helping local hospitals, clinics, and dispensaries in the Rorya District improve their WASH conditions. Safe and ample water, accessible toilets, good hygiene education and cleaning practices, and proper disposal of infectious waste can greatly improve quality of care and reduce the alarmingly frequent occurrence of healthcare-acquired infections. We are taking a multi-pronged and strategic approach to reaching our overall goal of working closely with HCFs to construct WASH infrastructure and implement and maintain sustainable practices to make a significant and measurable difference in people’s lives and in general support public and global health.
As a starting point, Maji Safi Group conducted a baseline survey in 20 Health Care Facilities in the Rorya District. The data clearly indicate a significant need for improvement:
We believe our vast experience with WASH enables us to identify, select, and carry forward the most appropriate and economical designs to achieve strong results in the different components of WASH in HCFs. Once again, we are drawing on our longtime success with participatory development and the expertise of our Community Health Educators.
It is a strong objective of this program to take a strategic approach towards mobilizing resources at a district level and working with major public and private partners in the health sector to improve WASH in HCFs. Through efficient and frequent communication, we will raise capital from public and private foundations, capitalize on existing programs that support WASH improvements in HCFs, and bring into play three of the biggest stakeholders: the District Medical Office, the Shirati KMT District Hospital, and the management teams at our partnering HCFs.
To create a safer environment and reduce disease transmission, we help the selected HCFs improve their WASH infrastructure, i.e., water supply, water treatment, latrine blocks, handwashing stations at latrines and points of care, incinerators for disposal of infectious waste, etc.
By conducting trainings on proper hygiene practices, waste management, and environmental cleanliness, we improve the capacity of the frontline health workers to understand disease prevention and protect their own health in the workplace. Hygiene education in general and something as simple as proper handwashing can create long-term behavioral change and drastically reduce the occurrence of preventable diseases and infections.
At each HCF, MSG and our group of partners will create a governance body that will be known as “The WASH Facilities Improvement Team (FIT)”. The primary role of this team will be conducting monthly and quarterly monitoring, securing adherence to WASH guideline principles and procedures, and monitoring the functionality of the WASH infrastructures installed through this project.
This program will also rely on the idea of Circuit Riders where one employee attends to infrastructural or administrative issues at several water points, or in this case HCFs. MSG will use two types of circuit riders to service the HCFs we partner with. The first type will be a Technical Circuit Rider who will perform routine checkups and maintenance on the infrastructure to sustain high rates of functionality. The second type will be a Quality-of-Care Circuit Rider who will focus mainly on the performance of the infection prevention control and the monitoring of the hygiene, waste management, and cleanliness systems that were taught and implemented during staff trainings.
Given Maji Safi Group’s commitment to improving WASH conditions in HCFs in the Rorya District and the highly qualified group of partners involved, the results are felt at the district level and will hopefully inspire other districts in the Mara Region to put more resources towards improving WASH conditions in their own HCFs. The ultimate objective of this program is to present our model, findings, and results to the regional and national governments to advocate for systemic change in WASH in HCFs and larger scale adoption in the Lake Victoria Zone and beyond.
