Access to sanitary and proper hand washing facilities still remains a challenge for the monks in the country. To create awareness on proper hand washing habit, the Central Monastic Body has been observing the Global Handwashing Day for the last three years now.
This year the day was marked at the three monastic schools and a nunnery in Bumthang yesterday with the theme, ‘Clean hands-a recipe for health’. It focused on the importance of proper handwashing for food and nutrition.
The central monastic body says more needs to be done to provide handwashing facilities in the monastic schools and nunneries. At present, the government and the UNICEF have been funding the infrastructures.
A sanitary handwashing facility mainly includes proper water facility, soap and towel among other items.
“So far the UNICEF has been supporting us with hand washing facilities. They have supported us with 37% drinking water facility and 65% sanitation facilities. Likewise, the government has also been supporting us but we still need more support,” Pema Gyeltshen, the Manager of Religion and Health Project, Central Monastic Body, said.
Meanwhile, the day is also a reminder for everyone to make handwashing with soap a part of every meal. A study found that handwashing with soap can reduce respiratory and intestinal diseases by 25 to 50 per cent.
“Handwashing with soap is firstly accessible and also affordable. It is one of the preventive and effective methods, ” Kinga Gyeltshen, the Bumthang’s Dzongkhag Health Officer, said.
According to the Annual Health Bulletin 2018, there were 41,000 cases of diarrhoea and 5,600 cases of dysentery across the country last year.
“As per the report, diarrhoea and dysentery constitute around 33 per cent of the total morbidity cases and it could be because people are not practising handwashing with soap and also people consume water which is not safe for drinking,” Kinga Gyeltshen said.
As part of the program, mass handwashing stations were inaugurated and proper handwashing procedures were demonstrated to the monks of Jakar Rabdey, Nimalung Lobdra, Kenchosum Shedra and nuns of Pema Choling Nunnery.
The UNICEF and SNV Netherlands Development Organization has been supporting the Central Monastic Body in constructing handwashing infrastructures and in celebrating the day since 2016.
