Infection control norms tightened in hospitals

The Health Department has issued orders formulating clear-cut guidelines for infection control in hospitals under the Health Services.

It has instructed all hospitals to recognise nosocomial infections (infections acquired from hospitals) as an important issue affecting patient safety and to put in place proper safeguards to prevent them.

The guidelines have been framed as part of a quality assurance programme being implemented by the Health Department in its hospitals.

Accordingly, all hospitals are to set up core committees including senior medical and nursing professionals. These committees will monitor performance indicators, medical statistics, standardisation of procedures, patient and employee safety, fire safety, hospital safety, and continuous quality improvement and will meet every month.

Infection control within hospitals will be the responsibility of all health care professionals, including doctors, nurses, laboratory technicians, paramedical staff, engineers and other hospital employees.

The committee will be responsible for the continued surveillance of nosocomial infections, development of a hospital antibiotic policy, and training of hospital workers on infection control.

The guidelines require all hospitals to develop a system for identifying, investigating, and controlling nosocomial infections.

The surveillance will include monitoring of urinary tract infections, nosocomial respiratory tract infection, intra-vascular device infection, surgical site infection, hand washing, needle prick injuries, and invasive procedures.

All hospitals should follow the biomedical waste management and handling rules of 1998 and dispose of biomedical waste accordingly. Operation theatres should have clear ‘zones,’ proper humidity, and temperature control.

All staff working in the operation theatre should be trained in infection control. Periodic microbiological surveillance, sterility checking and sterilisation of operation theatres should be carried out as per standard guidelines.

The Health Department has directed hospitals to utilise available funds, including annual maintenance grants, un-tied funds, RSBY funds etc. to implement infection control procedures.