Medical professionals have once again emphasised that gloves must never be considered a replacement for proper hand hygiene, urging healthcare workers to adopt a stronger culture of handwashing. This message was at the forefront of this year’s World Hand Hygiene Day, marked on Monday under the theme, “It Might Be Gloves, But It’s Always Hand Hygiene.”
Experts and stakeholders gathered to underscore that washing hands with soap under running water remains the most effective way to prevent healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). While gloves offer a layer of protection, speakers at the event made it clear that their misuse can undermine infection control efforts.
Professor Darlington Obaseki, Chief Medical Director of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), delivered the opening remarks. He acknowledged the protective role of gloves but cautioned against viewing them as a substitute for handwashing.
“Gloves provide protection, but hand hygiene is the fundamental aspect,” he said.
“If you don’t wash your hands properly with soap and running water and you just go and glove up, you are still a risk to our patients and to yourself.”
Professor Obaseki highlighted that UBTH had made significant investments in hygiene infrastructure, such as consistent access to running water, electricity, and hygiene consumables. He called on healthcare leaders to maintain minimum safety standards to promote compliance.
He also encouraged patients and their caregivers to actively participate in infection prevention by washing their hands regularly while at healthcare facilities.
In her keynote address, Dr Tochi Okwor, who coordinates the National Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Programme and the Nigeria Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Coordination Committee at the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), described hand hygiene as both an ethical responsibility and a public health necessity.
“Every opportunity to clean our hands is an opportunity to save a life. Gloves are not a substitute for clean hands, and misuse can turn them from protective barriers to instruments of contamination,” she said.
Dr Okwor advocated for a holistic approach to infection control by integrating IPC, antimicrobial resistance containment, water and sanitation hygiene (WASH), and diagnostic stewardship as the new national standard.
Speaking virtually from the UK, Mrs Edith Uwugiaren of Northamptonshire Healthcare raised concerns about the improper use of gloves in Nigerian hospitals, particularly the practice of reusing gloves between patients or procedures.
“Gloves protect the wearer, not the patient. Using gloves incorrectly increases the risk of hospital-acquired infections and undermines infection control,” she said, likening the improper use of gloves to “dancing without rhythm.” She urged healthcare workers to match glove use appropriately to each medical procedure.
Mrs Osagioduwa Oloru, Chief Environmental Health Officer at UBTH, also addressed the audience, educating them on how to properly dispose of used gloves to prevent environmental contamination.
Meanwhile, Dr Esohe Ogboghodo, Chair of the UBTH IPC Committee, shared that the hospital had achieved measurable success in reducing healthcare-associated infections through sustained IPC efforts. These include disinfection routines, staff education, and improved management of hospital linens.
The event ended with a strong consensus: while gloves serve an important role in infection prevention, they cannot and must not replace proper hand hygiene. Cultivating a handwashing culture across all levels of healthcare is essential to safeguarding both patients and professionals.