Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health Helen Royer said with the launch of an Infection Control Manual, coupled with training, it is hoped that the health sector will be able to deal effectively with infections.
She said this will ensure “a safer environment for patients and workers alike.”
“Let us all combat the spread of infection in all of our facilities,” Royer said.
The manual was launched on Tuesday March 17, 2015 at the Acute Psychiatric Unit (APU) at the Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH).
Royer said while infection is not a new problem, it is a growing public health concern.
“Infection is not a mystery, nor is it a new problem. Today we know that the emergence of new infections is a real and growing public health concern,” she stated.
The most common infections in Dominica include flu like illnesses, gastro enteritis, occasional outbreaks of dengue, leptospirosis, and also sporadic cases of TB, HIV and other Sexually Transmitted Diseases.
Royer noted that according to World Health Organization, every year more than 1.4-million people throughout the world suffer from health-care associated infections (HAI).
It is also estimated that between 5-10 percent of patients admitted to modern hospitals in developed countries acquire one or more infections; 15-40 percent of those admitted to critical care are affected. More than half of these infections could be prevented by caregivers properly cleaning their hands at key moments in patient care.
“Unfortunately, the risk is two to 20 times higher in developing than in developed countries,” she stated. “Importantly, no health care setting, no hospital, no country in the world can claim to have solved the problem in entirety , therefore, concerted efforts on infection is a matter of great concern globally and for us in Dominica.”
The manual has been reviewed to meet international standards and will serve as a frame work to provide direction and information as it relates to all functions of infection prevention and control measures and to improve patient care, minimize patient morbidity and mortality and to help contain healthcare costs.
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