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Promoting hand hygiene: Sanitisers not complete replacement for soap
Frequent hand washing has been identified as the cheapest, easiest, most important and effective way to stay clean and safe from bacteria and viruses driven diseases.
Between soap and hand sanitisers, many are, however, left confused over which one serves a better purpose in dealing with bacteria or virus.
Addressing this concern, a Public Health Practitioner, Mr William Anku, says in general, both hand washing with soap and water and hand sanitisers, when done correctly, can be effective at killing most germs and pathogens.
Speaking with The Spectator in an interview, Mr Anku, who also doubles as a Technical Support Officer with the Ghana AIDS Commission, Ho Technical Support Unit, said among the two, sanitisers can be less effective against some microorganisms and do not physically remove dirt, grease or certain chemicals.
He said while alcohol based hand sanitisers were useful when soap and water were not readily available, they should not be considered a complete replacement for proper hand washing.
Mr Anku said a sanitiser containing at least 60 per cent alcohol could rapidly reduce many types of harmful microorganisms on the hand.
He, however, elaborated that people with visibly dirty or greasy hands should wash them with soap and running water because sanitiser could not physically remove the dirt or grease.
“When hands are visibly dirty or greasy, soap and water are preferable,” he mentioned.
Mr Anku advised people using sanitisers to apply enough to cover all surfaces of the hands and rub them together until completely dry, stressing that soap helped loosen dirt, oils, microorganisms and other contaminants from the skin so they could be rinsed away.
“Water alone can remove some visible dirt and a portion of microorganisms, but it is considerably less effective than washing with soap,” heunderlined.
He urged the public to wash hands with soap and running water after using the toilet, before preparing or eating food, after coughing or sneezing, after caring for a sick person and whenever the hands were visibly dirty.
Mr Anku also drew attention to the importance of drying hands after washing, saying wet hands could transfer microorganisms easily than dry hands.
He recommended clean, disposable paper towels, particularly in healthcare facilities and public settings. Where reusable cloth towels were used, he said they should be clean and changed regularly.
He added that properly maintained air dryers could also be used.
On whether warm water was better than cold water for hand washing, Mr Anku noted that the temperature of the water was not the most important factor.
He explained that cold, lukewarm or warm running water could all be used, stressing that using soap, rubbing adequately, rinsing thoroughly and drying properly were more important.
He cautioned against using excessively hot water because it could irritate or damage the skin.
Again, Mr Anku mentioned that people should scrub all surfaces of their hands with soap for at least 20 seconds before rinsing thoroughly with running water.
He said rushing through the process could result in some areas of the hands being missed.
He suggested that people could sing “Happy Birthday” twice at a normal pace while scrubbing to help achieve the recommended duration, noting that the choice of song was not important but the time spent rubbing was.
He also cautioned that frequent hand washing, repeated use of alcohol based sanitisers, harsh soaps and very hot water could cause dryness, irritation, cracking or dermatitis, particularly among people with sensitive skin.
He advised the public to use mild soaps, avoid excessively hot water and apply moisturising hand cream or lotion regularly, especially after washing.
Mr Anku says washing hands for too short a time was one of the common mistakes people made.
Others included failing to cover the entire hand with soap, forgetting the backs of the hands, spaces between the fingers, thumbs and underneath the fingernails.
Furthermore, he mentioned rinsing immediately without adequate rubbing, failing to dry the hands properly, touching contaminated surfaces immediately after washing and using too little sanitiser.
“Effective hand hygiene is not simply about putting soap or sanitiser on the hands; the technique matters,” he stressed.
Mr Anku urged the public to make hand hygiene part of everyday life, saying the seemingly small action could have a significant impact on public health.
“Hand hygiene may seem like a small action, but collectively it can prevent a significant amount of illness and protect entire communities,” he indicated.
The National Identification Authority (NIA) has announced the commencement of enforcement of the National Identity Register (Amendment) Regulations, 2026 (L.I. 2523), warning institutions that fail to comply with the new requirements of possible fines of up to 2,000 penalty units.
The Authority says it will deploy a Biometric Verification Implementation Task Force to inspect institutions and ensure they comply with the regulations, following the expiration of a three-month grace period granted to businesses and public institutions.
Speaking at a press briefing in Accra on Monday, November 2, 2026, the NIA’s Corporate Affairs representative, William Ampomah Emmanuel Darlas, said the Authority had completed its public education and stakeholder engagement activities and was now moving into the enforcement and compliance monitoring phase.
He explained that the regulations require institutions that verify the identities of customers or applicants as part of their operations to use the NIA’s approved biometric verification platform instead of relying solely on visual inspection of the Ghana Card.
Under the new rules, institutions are prohibited from photocopying, scanning or keeping copies of the Ghana Card for identity verification purposes.
Mr Darlas stressed that simply collecting a customer’s Ghana Card, looking at the photograph and comparing it with the person presenting it would no longer be accepted as a valid method of identity verification.
He, however, clarified that the Ghana Card remains the country’s official national identity document and that citizens are not required to register for a new card or capture their biometrics again under the new regulations.
He said the new system is intended to reduce identity fraud, impersonation and other crimes by ensuring that the person presenting the Ghana Card is the actual owner.
According to him, the biometric verification process will rely on information already captured during Ghana Card registration, including fingerprints, iris details and facial features stored in the card’s chip.
Mr Darlas warned institutions against using third-party companies or individuals to access the NIA’s identity verification platform, insisting that the Authority does not work with intermediaries.
He said institutions seeking access to the National Identity Register must deal directly with the NIA and complete its official onboarding process.
The process requires institutions to prove that they are legally registered companies in Ghana, obtain certification from the Data Protection Commission and work with the NIA’s technical team to establish the necessary connection to its platform.
He further cautioned institutions already connected to the platform against subletting their access to other businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises.
He disclosed that the Authority had received reports of some institutions providing their verification services to other businesses without the NIA’s approval and warned that those involved would face legal action.
Mr Darlas said organisations that fail to comply with L.I. 2523 could face fines ranging from 500 to 2,000 penalty units, depending on the nature of the offence.
He explained that the NIA does not have the authority to impose the fines directly but would take offenders to court for the appropriate punishment.
He indicated that Institutions found guilty could also face additional administrative measures, including being barred from accessing the NIA’s verification platform in the future.
The NIA representative further clarified that the new regulations do not prohibit all institutions from physically using the Ghana Card during transactions.
The Managing Director of the Ghana Publishing Company Limited, Nana Kwesi Boatey, has revealed how he transformed a major overstaffing challenge into a success story through the government’s 24-Hour Economy initiative.
Speaking at the Government Accountability Series on Monday, November 2, Mr. Boatey disclosed that when he assumed office in February 2025, and inherited a bloated workforce of 250 employees doing work that could be efficiently handled by 150 people, a situation that created serious liquidity challenges for the state-owned company.
Instead of resorting to downsizing, he adopted an innovative approach by instituting a 24-hour operational system.
Under the new system, staff were redistributed across three shifts: 7 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., 10 a.m. – 7 p.m., and 10 p.m. – 4:30 a.m.
This not only ensured optimal use of labour but also maximized machine utilization and improved overall output.
According to him, the single move redefined the productivity culture within the company, reinforcing discipline, accountability, and efficiency.
The Ghana Publishing Company’s turnaround is being cited as a practical example of how the 24-Hour Economy policy can drive growth without job losses.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
