To stay healthy in this ever-changing and dynamic world, the adequate supply of water for domestic and clinical use is very crucial and essential. Water is vital for life.
Aside from dehydration, not having enough water in your body system increases the risk of kidney stone diseases and, in most cases, Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) in women.
The shortage of water supply to healthcare facilities increases the likelihood of a patient or healthcare worker suffering from nosocomial (hospital-acquired infections), and these infections occur at the surgical sites, bloodstream, cerebrospinal fluid, and respiratory tracts, and even on the skin.
Patients who have co-morbidities i.e. underlying illnesses and conditions are at the greatest risk of infections when they stay longer in the hospitals.
Quality healthcare services ought to be delivered in a hygienic environment where there is an adequate supply of water and the Infection Prevention Control (IPC) program is duly observed. One of the IPC measures to critically look at is proper hand washing techniques.
It is imperative to observe Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) services in healthcare facilities, households, offices, and public places such as malls and transportation hubs where there is a provision of hand wash stations with running water, soap, clean towels, and alcohol-based hand rubs.
WASHNORM Survey Reveals the Need for An Intervention
According to a 2021 survey by the Water, Sanitation, Hygiene National Outcome Routine Mapping (WASHNORM), 81% of the population in Ekiti State have access to basic water supply services but only 10% of this population has access to safely managed water, and also 73% of people living in the state drink water that is contaminated with E-Coli from water source or at household level.
It is intriguing to know that 41% of the population practice open defecation, while just 4% have access to basic hygiene.
In healthcare facilities, schools, and public places, 9%, 16%, and 0.4% have access to basic water sanitation and hygiene, respectively. This stat should ring a warning bell, as the suboptimal WASH services easily open the State to outbreaks of diseases. In 2021, the State recorded an outbreak of cholera cases. It was the joint effort of the State Ministry of Health and Human Services and the Rural Water and Sanitation Support Agency (RUWASSA) that curbed the outbreak.
SURWASH Intervention in Ekiti
On Monday, May 25, 2020, the World Bank approved Nigeria a sum of $700 million in credit for the Sustainable Urban and Rural Water Supply, Sanitation, and Hygiene Program (SURWASH).
Ekiti, Delta, Kaduna, Kastina, Plateau, Imo and Gombe states are beneficiaries of this credit facility from the International Development Association (IDA).
According to the World Bank, the credit facility will provide 6 million people in the seven states with basic drinking water services and 1.4 million people access to improved sanitation services.
As part of the effort of the federal government through the National Action Plan (NAP) for the Revitalization of Nigeria’s Water Supply, Sanitation, and Hygiene Sector, the program, if properly implemented, will deliver improved water sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services to 2,000 schools and Health Care Facilities. In Ekiti, where 41% of the populace practice open defecation, this program will assist the communities across the 16 Local Government Areas (LGA) to “achieve an open defecation-free status.”
The Call for Stakeholders’ Involvement to Deepen Strategies for Results
The second principle of The Dublin Principles, which was developed in 1992, states that: “Water development and management should be based on a participatory approach, involving users, planners and policymakers at all levels.”
In obeying this principle, the Ekiti State Ministry of Infrastructure & Public Utilities organized a meeting to engage stakeholders on ways to deepen strategies for results on the SURWASH program in the State.
The 3-day engagement held in Ado-Ekiti at Koltotel Hotel from 14th – 16th of February, 2023, had a roll call of big names in attendance: Prof. Mobolaji Aluko, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Infrastructure and Public Utilities, Rt Hon. Olubunmi Adelugba, the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, and other top government officials across the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). The stakeholders had a productive dialogue on ways to improve the WASH services and also addressed the key areas in which the SURWASH program can further yield results in the State.
The program coordinator, Engineer Stephen Adewumi, in a plea to the stakeholders, solicited support and collaboration for the sustainability of the program.
According to the 2030 agenda for the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), goal number 6 (Water and Sanitation), stipulates that government should “ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all” its citizens. This goal corroborates one of Dublin’s principles and thus implies that fixing the inadequacy in WASH service is a collective effort of all and for all.
