June 27, 2012
Month-long campaign educates public and staff on hand hygiene
AYER KEROH, 25 June 2012 – The importance of hand hygiene took centre stage in Pantai Hospital Ayer Keroh (PHAK)’s recently concluded month-long Safety Month Campaign which commenced back in mid-May.
The campaign was an essential part of the hospital’s objective to increase awareness amongst hospital staff and members of the public – to think safe in all aspects of their lives. This year’s campaign was a follow-up to the success of 2011’s “Make Safety Our Way of Life” campaign. This time around, PHAK’s focus was centered on the importance of proper hand wash technique, incorporating the vital use of the hand wash and hand rub agent.
The campaign launch was also attended by members of PHAK’s Board of Visitors (here seen with PHAK CEO, Gan Kong Hoe)
In a statement made by PHAK’s Chief Executive Officer, Gan Kong Hoe as he addressed the public during the campaign’s official launch in the hospital, he said that the Safety Month Campaign will remain as part of the hospital’s continuous effort to nurture the practice of making safety a top priority for all. Improving the hand hygiene practice is critical in a healthcare setting to advance the quality of patient care and to reduce needless infection. PHAK strives to achieve and excel in the six International Patient Safety Goals, fulfilling their commitment as a hospital that delivers quality, personalized healthcare that benefits the local and international community.
Gan also hopes that through improving hand hygiene in PHAK, the hospital will be able to replicate previous success stories by hospitals in England and Wales. “Hospital superbugs were once a real fear for many patients. By increasing the use of soap and hand gel in hospitals, their ‘Clean Your Hands’ campaign achieved its aim of critically reducing superbug infections”, said Gan. Setting the ‘Clean Your Hands’ campaign as an exemplary accomplishment, PHAK hopes to create more public awareness on the importance of washing hands – the right way.
Hospital guests were given a quick tutorial on the correct hand washing technique.
As part of the Safety Month campaign, PHAK’s Food Service Department also concurrently launched their ‘Bring Your Own Box’ campaign for staff who take-away food from the staff cafeteria as a first sustainable effort to gradually reinvent the hospital towards becoming not just an environmental-friendly hospital but a more safety-conscious organization. With the Styrofoam-free movement currently in play, PHAK aims to gradually reduce the use of Styrofoam cups and food containers in the hospital, thus reducing the risk of exposure to the dangers of Styrofoam.
The launch also saw participation from pharmaceutical companies in promoting hand wash and hand rub agents, hospital staff in performing a ‘hand wash’ dance during the launch and a video presentation on the International Patient Safety Goals by the nursing team.
