WATER SUPPLY, SANITATION AND HYGIENE IN UNGWAN RIMI PRIMARY HEALTHCARE CENTRE, KADUNA STATE, NIGERIA

Limited access to potable water, poor sanitation and hygiene practices in hospitals adversely affect healthcare of patients and healthcare of their providers. Generally, in this area of Nigeria, in-patient clients are required to provide their own potable water and use toilet facilities inside/outside of the healthcare center. This study aims at investigating the sources of water supply and sanitation at Ungwan Rimi Primary Health Centre in Kaduna State, Nigeria, assessing the roles of patients in improving water, sanitation and hygiene facilities in the healthcare center. Structured questionnaires were administered, and oral interviews were conducted to collect relevant information from patients about water supply and sanitation in the Male, Female Children and Delivery wards at the Health Centre. The questions include the socio-demographic of the respondents, source of water, frequency of use of available water in the health center, available hygiene and sanitation facilities and frequency of use and the number of patients sharing the facilities. The majority of patients at the health center sourced their water from both protected and unprotected wells, piped water/public tap, and bottled water. Only 38.4% of the respondents (n=382) treat their collected water. Of the respondents that treated their water, 33.3% boiled the water to about 100°C before use, 23.6% used local water filters to remove debris and suspended solids from the raw water, 27.1% added chlorine, while 11.1% allowed the water to stand and settle before use. Most respondents had access to improved hygiene facilities, such as access to toilets that serve less than five people. One source of concern is the commingling of hospital infectious waste with other collected wastes in the healthcare facility. This poses a major health risk to patients, healthcare workers and the immediate hospital community since this can lead to the spread of infectious diseases. There is the need to improve the sources of potable water and sanitation facilities in healthcare facilities in Nigeria as demonstrated at the Ungwan Rimi Primary Health Centre to protect patients, healthcare workers and the public. Access to safe drinking water and proper sanitation and hygiene might assist in faster patient recovery from illness and prevent the transmission of other diseases while in the healthcare center. Adequate water supply, sanitation and hygiene cannot be overemphasized as essential in healthcare facilities. Other facilities will be examined as a continuation of this study.