Infection Control Program Introduced At CHK

KARACHI: Dr. Ruth K.M Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi has introduced a comprehensive infection control program to prevent patients and employees from hospital acquired infections (HAI).

Focal Person, Infectious Diseases & Waste Management, CHK, Dr. Gul Munir Vistro, alongside CHK administration introduced a comprehensive mechanism to save patients, attendants, doctors, nurses, paramedical and other support staff  from contracting hospital acquired infections.

Stating the statistics, he mentioned that, “An estimated 20 - 25 per cent patients acquire infections  from health care facilities during treatment every year in Pakistan, by not following standard operating  procedures (SOPs), however hospitals acquired infections ratio is very low in European Countries.”

This system is introduced to identify risk factors involved in infectious conditions and to provide education regarding infection control to healthcare workers, to decrease the burden of HAI, such as surgical site, ventilator acquired pneumonia,  bloodstream infection  and urinary tract infection.

Furthermore, he added that vaccination of hospital employees against hepatitis B,  promotion of research and provision of guidelines regarding standard practices of infection control will be strictly implemented, alongside spreading public awareness and maintaining data of  hospital acquired infections to keep the concerned authorities informed.

Dr Gul Munir Vistro explained that Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF), Cholera, acute viral hepatitis A,E, typhoid, dengue, influenza A & B, H1N1 & H2 , N3,  meningococcal meningitis, TB, HIV, measles, naegleria fowleri meningo-encephalitis and chikungunya are infectious diseases.

He added that CHK administration has also opened Infectious Diseases OPD for treatment of patients suffering from infectious diseases, under the expert supervision of Assistant Professor Dr. Azizullah Khan Dihloo.

Professor of Infectious Diseases and Head  Infection Control Program Dr. Shehla Baqi, Medical Officer Dr. Fareha Haleem, Infection Control Nurses Nusrat Bachir, Shehla Pardhan, Shahbana Khokhar and Sakina Shaukat are members of the Infection Control program.

Additional Medical Superintendent (Indoor), CHK, Dr. Nasrullah Memon is said to be supervising the infection control practices.

He said that the aim of introducing an Infection Control Program in the hospital is to cure diseases and most importantly, prevent from those diseases from spreading through awareness.

He added that training of doctors, nurses, paramedical and other support staff are underway to prevent them from acquiring infections, while a certificate course is also launched for doctors and other staff.

He claimed that, billions of rupees can be saved annually in Pakistan, by spending on preventive and promotion strategies like in European countries.