5 May 2010
The Department of Health (DH) today (May 5) highlighted the importance of hand hygiene in infectious disease prevention and control at a ceremony organised in support of the World Health Organization's "SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands" initiative.
The DH jointly organized the ceremony, in collaboration with the Hospital Authority, celebrated 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 is 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 WHO Guidelines on Hand Hygiene in Health Care. Eight nursing homes have pioneered in the adoption and adaptation of the WHO strategies to promote hand hygiene compliance, with an encouraging compliance rate of 80 per cent measured at four months after intervention.
In 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 Task Force for Promotion of WHO Hand Hygiene Campaign, experts and representatives from the Government, Hospital Authority, medical associations, private hospitals and the traditional Chinese medicine sector for their concerted efforts in hand hygiene promotion.
The Chairman of Hospital Authority, Mr Anthony Wu; Chief Executive of Hospital Authority, Mr Shane Solomon, and Controller of the Centre for Health Protection Dr Thomas Tsang, were among the officiating guests.