JICA India host ‘Achhi Aadat’ session at Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC)

New Delhi The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in India and its implementation partner, IJ Kakehashi Services Pvt. Ltd., held a workshop on the importance of hand hygiene at the Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC) in New Delhi as part of the Achhi Aadat Campaign. There were 135 nursing students and 150 MBBS students present for the session.

Doctors Arti Sood Mahajan (Director, Professor, and Head of the Department of Physiology at the Maulana Azad Medical College), Suresh Kumar (Medical Director at the Lok Nayak Hospital), and Ellen Beck (Principal at the Ahilya Bai College of Nursing) were present at the session.

Mr. Asim Ray, Business Director, and Mr. OSAWA Takeomi, Admin Manager, both of Asahi Intecc Company Ltd, a Japanese medical equipment firm and the session’s sponsors, extended their best wishes to the medical students in attendance.

Mr. Sanjay Kumar Panda, Managing Director of IJ Kakehashi, led a discussion on the “Health Situation in Japan” and the “Achhi Aadat Campaign.” Associate Professor at MAMC Dr. Ravi Kaushik led a fascinating and informative seminar on “Health, Hygiene, and Diseases: Physiology to Pathology.”

The medical students watched Cells at Work, a “Moving Comic” published by Kodansha Ltd. in Japan, which is in support of the Achhi Aadat Campaign. The pupils had a nice time and got the message about the need of developing healthy routines for cleaning their hands and nails.

A demonstration of proper hand wash was also shown by one of the medical students. After the session students shared their experience of AAC session:

“This program was really helpful for students like us who are preparing to be health care workers. Through this, many minute and at the same time the most important points were taught. It was really interesting and thank you for making us a part of this program.”  -: Nandana Nair B S (1st yr. BSc Hons Nursing).

A good quality education is the foundation of health and well-being. For people to lead healthy and productive lives, they need knowledge to prevent sickness and disease and today in this campaign we learnt about the most basic but most important practice that is hand hygiene that will help to prevent most of the diseases and I am so glad that I attended this campaign and got to know so many new things…Thank you JICA and department of physiology, MAMC for arranging this Achhi Aadat Campaign. – Jehnifer Ali Khan ( B.Sc Hons. First year)

In 2021, JICA launched the Achhi Aadat Campaign to spread various hygiene practices among the population of India. Amid the COVID-19 pandemics, the campaign encouraged consistent and appropriate handwashing techniques, nail cleaning, and other hygiene practices.

In continuation, JICA in partnership with its project implementing partner IJ Kakehashi Services, collaborates with government organisations, private Japanese companies, NGOs, and other partner organisations to promote awareness among the people of India.