#Kingston, October 17, 2019 – Jamaica – The Ministry of Health and Wellness is to establish a Best Practice Training Centre for Infection Prevention and Control (IPC). The setting up of the centre is part of a raft of measures to be undertaken over the next two years with support from the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO)/World Health Organization (WHO) to strengthen the country’s IPC strategy.
PAHO/WHO will also provide ongoing
technical support for the crafting of a National IPC Strategic Plan; revision
and development of additional IPC tools, documents and guidelines; and training
of additional staff in the prevention, surveillance and control of
hospital-acquired infections.
A two-day workshop was held at The
Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston on October 15 and 16 to garner
stakeholder input to develop the IPC plan.
Portfolio Minister, Dr. the Hon.
Christopher Tufton, in his address at Tuesday’s opening ceremony, said data from
the WHO indicate that, globally, millions of patients are affected by
healthcare-associated infections each year, leading to mortality and substantial
financial losses for health systems.
“For every 100 hospitalised patients at
any given time, 10 in developing countries and seven in developed countries,
will acquire at least one healthcare-associated infection,” he said.
He noted that the endemic burden of
healthcare-associated infection is significantly higher in low- and
middle-income countries than in high-income nations, particularly among
patients admitted to intensive care units, and neonates.
Dr. Tufton said that the two-day
workshop is expected to yield a number of results, including the effective
implementation of healthcare-associated infection surveillance programmes in the
nation’s hospitals and development of a technical support network that will aid
in the operationalisation of hospital IPC committees. Beyond the workshop, he said that the Ministry
will continue its sensitisation and consultation with healthcare leaders
regarding their roles in IPC.
Meanwhile, the Minister noted that financial
support from international donor partners, including the Inter-American
Development Bank (IDB), to undertake infrastructure improvements at health
facilities islandwide, will enhance the quality of care provided.
“Programmes such as Adopt-A- Clinic and
Compassionate Care are also contributing to improvements at our health centres
and hospitals, thanks to the [local] non-government organisation (NGO)
community and private sector,” he said.
He is encouraging increased partnership
for the improvement of the island’s health facilities.
Contact: Rochelle Williams
Release: JIS
Photo Caption: Health and Wellness Minister, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton (right), converses with Chief of the National Infection Prevention Control Programme in Chile’s Ministry of Health, Dr. Fernando Otaiza, at the opening of the National Strategic Workshop for Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) on Tuesday (October 15), at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston.
D. Reid Photo