Only 10 per cent of Ugandans know how to properly wash their hands with soap and clean water after using the toilet and before handling or eating food, as recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO).A new report by the ministry of Health, titled The Cost of Inaction on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, estimates that 33 children under the age of five die every day from diarrhoeal diseases, many of which could be prevented through simple practices such as proper handwashing.Presenting the report’s findings, Dr Herbert Nabaasa, the commissioner for health services in charge of environmental health, said although many Ugandans understand the importance of handwashing, 90 per cent still do not practise it properly. This contributes to the country’s high burden of preventable diseases, which the report estimates at 75 per cent.The ministry assessed the economic implications of inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services, estimating the losses Uganda could incur if the situation remains unchanged and the potential gains from improving access to safe water and promoting proper hygiene.According to the report, Uganda risks losing up to $27 billion over the next 10 years if no action is taken to address the health consequences of poor WASH facilities.Nabaasa said the analysis found that more than 90 per cent of households lack consistent access to safe water, a situation worsened by rapid urbanisation, which has put pressure on sanitation facilities that are not expanding at a matching rate.The report puts the proportion of the population using safely managed drinking water services at 80.5 per cent in urban areas, 81 per cent in rural areas and 80.8 per cent nationally.About 81 per cent of households had access to an improved source of drinking water, while 18.9 per cent relied on unimproved sources. In urban areas, 86.6 per cent of households had access to an improved water source, compared with 77.4 per cent in rural areas.Boreholes were the main source of drinking water for 25 per cent of households in urban areas and 48.9 per cent in rural areas, with a national average of 39.2 per cent.Following the presentation of the report, Dr Diana Atwine, the Ministry of Health permanent secretary, expressed frustration that authorities had to compel people to clean their surroundings through the recently launched National Cleaning Day, held on the last Saturday of every month.Atwine said more than half of the domestic waste generated in Kampala is not collected and disposed of promptly. She added that, following the introduction of the monthly cleaning exercise, some residents had resorted to piling rubbish along roadsides at the end of the month, expecting the government to collect it.She warned that unless such practices and attitudes change, reducing the disease burden would remain difficult, forcing the government to continue spending heavily on medicines and treatment for illnesses that could be prevented through greater community involvement.The report, compiled by the Ministry of Health in collaboration with researchers at the Economic Policy Research Centre (EPRC), estimates that treating water-borne diseases, including cholera, typhoid, dysentery and diarrhoea, costs the country Shs 1.658 trillion.In contrast, increasing funding for WASH interventions over the next five years to levels that could reduce the disease burden by 80 per cent would generate savings of Shs 1.724 trillion in treatment costs for both the government and households, the researchers estimate.The researchers recommend ring-fencing funding for WASH interventions in key sectors, particularly health and education, to improve access to safe water and sanitation and reduce preventable diseases.The post Report: 90% of Ugandans don’t know how to wash hands properly appeared first on The Observer Media Ltd.