Half of Mater Dei Hospital healthcare staff are now compliant with hand washing recommendations, up from an embarrassing 18 per cent during the migration from St Luke’s Hospital.

However, overseas hospitals’ regulations to minimise cross-contamination by ditching lab coats and ties and enforcing a below-elbow policy – where accessories and sleeves must not be worn below the elbow – remain measures left in the hands of staff.

Asked why the hospital had not enforced such regulations, Health Minister Joe Cassar said things must be taken “one step at a time”.

Hands were invisible carriers of microbes, Dr Cassar said yesterday during the launch of the hand hygiene campaign.

Poor hand hygiene leads to the cross-transmission of resilient infections, especially in hospital where patients may have open wounds and weakened immune systems.

In the EU, some eight to 12 per cent of patients fell ill with a hospital acquired infection, Dr Cassar said, emphasising the importance for healthcare workers and the public to wash their hands.

Healthcare workers should wash their hands before and after touching a patient, especially when inserting a catheter or regulating the intravenous drip, after touching the environment in the hospital ward, such as beds and equipment, and after handling body fluids.

Lack of proper hand hygiene in hospital is the main contributor to the increase of antibiotic-resistant diseases such as the superbug MRSA, a common type of bacteria found on the skin, which may get into the body through breaks such as abrasions, wounds, catheters and surgical incisions and cause infection.

Malta has been known to have one of the highest rates of MRSA in Europe. Apart from the superbug demanding treatment with potent antibiotics and the side effects of such strong drugs it is also the culprit behind many complications, sometimes even leading to death.

Across Europe such infections amount to 25 million extra bed days at a cost of €13-€24 million.