Keeping hands clean

There has always been a wide gulf between precept and practice in Pakistan. On October 15, NGOs as well as government agencies organise seminars and awareness sessions across the country on the importance of washing hands. This event is being organised since 2008. An expert says in Pakistan, hardly 20% of people wash their hands with soap. He often sees doctors do not wash hands after checking a patient; in this way, they are transferring diseases from one person to the other. He estimates that in Pakistan, only one in five washes their hands after answering nature’s call. Doing so cuts the risk of diarrheal diseases by 42-47%. Lack of access to sanitation and poor hygiene contribute to around 88% of childhood deaths caused by diarrheal diseases, he says.

According to the United Nations, Children’s Emergency Fund and the World Health Organisation, around three billion people — around 40% of the world’s population-- do not have access to running water and soap to wash their hands. A report, jointly published by the two organisations this year, says at least 40% of Pakistanis are at risk of contracting preventable diseases as they have no access to basic hygiene facilities. According to another report, one in three government schools in Pakistan lacks sanitation facilities. This situation claims the lives of 46 children every day in the country. Water and sanitation stand at number six on the list of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations in 2015. A senior Sindh government official says there has been no significant progress with regard to achieving SDGs in the province. “The provincial government has formed an SDGs unit comprising MPAs, but one cannot see any positive change,” another provincial government official said. Most government schools in Sindh lack hygiene facilities and water supply.

Of course, physical hygiene is necessary for all. At the same time, we also need political hygiene. Clean hands are happy hands.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 18^th, 2019.

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