COVID-19 DPP Measure: Upscaling Sanitizing Production in Thailand and Promoting Hand Hygiene

CONTEXT

The World Health Organisation (WHO) stresses the importance of hand hygiene in preventing the spread of COVID-19. However, access to hand hygiene facilities including alcohol-based hand sanitizers during the first wave of the COVID-19 outbreak in Thailand quickly became limited in the community and in health care facility settings due to the shortage of materials and stockouts of supplies as a result of high demand. Furthermore, the disinfectant products available on the market are often substandard and do not fulfil the requirements of the WHO. Healthcare professionals as well as the lowest income groups such as farmer communities in rural areas are the most vulnerable to the shortage of disinfectant materials.  In order to mitigate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is enormously important to provide an adequate amount of quality disinfectant products and to promote hand hygiene practices.

OBJECTIVES

The project aims to improve the prevention capacity of 50 selected hospitals in COVID-19 red and high-risk zones and in rural farming communities in Thailand through the promotion of hand hygiene practices and the provision of hand sanitizing products.

APPROACHES

• Investment in the manufacture of hand sanitizing products with WHO recommended formular.
• E-training module in the Thai language on Hand Hygiene and COVID-19 prevention for healthcare professionals (HCPs) and farmer village health volunteers (VHVs).
• Donation and distribution of hand sanitizing products.

EXPECTED RESULTS

• 50 selected hospitals in COVID-19 red zones and vulnerable provinces are supplied with 78,750 litres of hand sanitizers at no cost, with each hospital receiving 3,150 bottles of 500 ml alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• 80% of 15,000 farmer households in four provinces are provided with hand sanitizers on a regular basis.
• An e-learning application tailored to the needs of the respective target groups is available for HCPs and VHV.
• 80% of the trained HCPs and VHVs put into practice the improved knowledge on hand hygiene and prevention of COVID-19 infection based on a newly launched e-learning tool.

FINANCED BY

The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)

PROJECT PARTNERS

• B. Braun (Thailand) Co., Ltd.
• Healthcare Accreditation Institute

PROJECT DURATION

December 2020 – 2021

This project is under COVID-19 response measure within the framework of the develoPPP programme, which GIZ implements on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).