By Sunday Okobi
To prevent the spread of germs among kids as well as adults, Medifield Healthcare Limited, a school-based health management company, has doubled its efforts in the hand-washing campaign in Lagos to promote healthy living among learners in schools.
As part of the activities to mark this year’s Global Hand Washing Day, over 5,000 pupils across 15 schools in Lagos were recently educated on the need to always wash their hands with soap and water, observe hand washing and basic hygiene routine when in the school premises and even at home.
The event was also to raise the awareness of the dangers of falling ill due to germs and infections.
Managing Director of the company, Dr. Adewale Owolabi, in his remark, said: “With a little awareness and activities, learners can live a healthier and more hygienic school life when they observe basic hand washing routine.”
During the campaign, members of the Medifield health team were on hand to demonstrate hand washing activities to pupils with soap and running water, led by the Project Manager of the School Health of the company, Mr. Kenneth Ilenre.
Ilenre said: “We undertook this project in keeping with the October 15 date set aside by the United Nations as Global Hand Washing Day, and with this year’s theme: ‘Clean Hands For All’, which is a way to increase awareness and understanding of the benefits of hand washing with soap and running water.
“Learners, especially pupils, need to imbibe this hand washing practice as early in life as possible. The school environment provides a veritable platform to educate them on this all-important healthy living exercise.
“Besides, germ prevention and hygiene is everyone’s responsibility and the Global Hand Washing Day is another opportunity to remind all about various steps that can help keep all clean and healthy.”
He added that “parents and guardians are also encouraged to role play possible situations with learners and discuss personal hygiene and awareness tips, especially in line with the theme, which attempts to push to the fore that no one should be left behind in sustainable hand washing development agenda and the need to be inclusive when addressing hand washing disparities.”
Ilenre declared that Medifield School Health programme has over the years continued to blaze the trail as the leading provider for school health in ensuring that schools enjoy favourable health management that would make learners experience improved health for greater academic performances.
“The company has also conducted vision screening and several other medical exercises in numerous schools (both within and outside Lagos), which revealed visual problem and several impairments as having adverse effect on child achievement in school,” he stated.
