PROJECT 1: HAND HYGIENE
Our first and longest running project is hand hygiene. In 2004, the WHO published a campaign under the motto 'simple measures that save lives', of which hand hygiene was an important part. Daktari Project used the principles and information from this campaign to build the hand hygiene project in Kilembe Mines Hospital. In this way, we are mainly responding to the transfer of germs from the health worker to the patient. The project consists of two main pillars: the production of hand alcohol and the education of healthcare personnel.
First and foremost, together with the hospital staff, we went in search of a sustainable way to produce high-quality hand alcohol. For this purpose, we found a supplier who can supply the raw materials for the product. The next step is to combine these raw materials in the right proportions, in order to obtain the right antibacterial and antiviral effect. It is very important that the substances are mixed correctly, otherwise the disinfectant will not be effective or may even be harmful to the skin. Some employees of the Kilembe Mines Hospital pharmacy were trained to produce hand alcohol according to WHO guidelines. They also ensure that the product is distributed in the pump bottles. In this way, employees in each department can pick up a bottle when the previous one is empty, and we try to maintain a continuous stock level. At least once a year, a sample of the hand alcohol produced is brought to Belgium by our volunteers and tested in the laboratories of the UZ Gent. We then check whether the composition is correct, but also whether the quality of the raw materials is good, so that adjustments can be made where necessary.
The second pillar is the education of healthcare personnel. On a regular basis, the Daktari volunteers organise training sessions on hand hygiene on site. In this way, both the permanent hospital staff and the Ugandan students who do their internship there receive information about the importance of good hand hygiene. We discuss when the hands need to be disinfected, and especially what the technique is to obtain a good hand disinfection. In 2017, some volunteers even made a nice film to demonstrate the technique in a creative way:
