A World Health Organisation (WHO) report indicates that approximately 70 per cent of healthcare workers do not routinely practice hand hygiene.
It also revealed that as little as 50 per cent of surgical teams comply with hand hygiene best practice throughout a surgical patient's hospital stay.
Dr Sally Ann Ohene, a representative of the WHO Country Office, who made this known at the launch of the 2025 Global Hand Hygiene Day in Accra on Tuesday, said health care-associated infections occurred worldwide, affecting hundreds of millions of patients annually.
She said the rate of transmission in the healthcare setting had led to an increase in avoidable infections, which could lead to death if not treated.
