Doha: The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has launched a week-long awareness-raising campaign, marking World Hand Hygiene Day 2025: The campaign aligns with the annual one of the World Health Organization, celebrated this year under the theme "It might be gloves: It's always hand hygiene".
According to Qatar News Agency, this year's theme emphasizes the continued importance of proper hand hygiene, even when gloves are used, as an essential practice in preventing infections and promoting patient safety. The WHHD 2025 campaign in Qatar, led by the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) and Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Section in the Healthcare Quality Department, represents a unified national effort involving government, semi-government, and private healthcare facilities.
Qatar has been selected this year by the WHO to showcase its national campaign as an example country during the recent global WHHD webinar. The topic of the presentation is: Qatar Strategy for WHHD: From Awareness to Action, Inspiring Cultural Change. This week-long campaign will combine education, engagement, and innovation to reinforce hand hygiene practices across all levels of care. Participating institutions have hosted a variety of activities, including staff education sessions, creative competitions, and public awareness booths.
Moreover, awareness sessions on hand hygiene were organized for school-aged children at all levels in cooperation with the Health Promotion Department at the MoPH. As part of national coordination, the IPC and AMR team will conduct site visits to government, semi-government, and private healthcare facilities to support and enhance their local celebration activities.
Additionally, the MoPH organized a Hand Hygiene Compliance Training Workshop, bringing together more than 100 IPC professionals in the field of infection prevention and control from across the healthcare sectors to build capacity and strengthen hand hygiene monitoring practices in the State of Qatar. The ministry has urged all healthcare professionals and community members to join this important initiative and reaffirm their commitment to clean hands and safer healthcare.