A patient is treated at Chợ Rẫy Hospital in HCM City. Photo courtesy of the hospital

HCM CITY — Effective infection prevention and control play a vital role in the safety of patients and healthcare workers, but there is inadequate knowledge and awareness of it among healthcare workers, an international conference on infection control heard.

Infection prevention and control procedures help reduce the risk for hospital-acquired infections, resulting in a reduction in hospital stays and healthcare costs, said Dr. Nguyễn Tri Thức, director of Chợ Rẫy Hospital, which hosted the conference on Tuesday.

The Department of Infection Control at the hospital has made significant progress and implemented various infection prevention and control measures to prevent harm caused by infection to patients and healthcare workers, he said.

Effective infection prevention and control requires adequate knowledge and awareness of hospital leaders and healthcare workers, patients and their relatives, he added.

Hà Thị Kim Phượng, head of the Nursing - Nutrition - Infection Control Office under the Ministry of Health, said only 96 hospitals nationwide conduct surveillance and submit their reports to the national hospital infection surveillance network.

Hospitals still do not pay appropriate attention to infection surveillance and management, Phượng said.

Health workers are not properly trained on infection prevention and control, she said.

Many leaders of healthcare facilities are not fully aware of the importance of infection prevention and control, resulting in inappropriate investment and poor management of infection control.

Infection prevention and control and timely responses to pandemics are not only the responsibility of the government but also individuals and healthcare facilities, she added.

The rate of hospital-acquired infections accounts for 3.5-10 per cent of hospitalised patients, according to the Ministry of Health. —VNS