HÀ NỘI — Health experts called on doctors and medical staff to tighten infection control to minimise cases of infection acquired at hospitals and medical facilities at a ceremony on Wenesday in Hà Nội.

The event is part of Saint Paul General Hospital’s campaign to increase health workers’ awareness and practices in connection with hospital-acquired infection prevention as part of efforts to minimise bacteria transmission between health workers and patients.

“Hospital-acquired infection is one of the health sector’s biggest concerns and challenges in Việt Nam and the world. Hospital infection leads to an increase in fatality rate and prolongs patient’s treatment time and expenses,” hospital director Nguyễn Đình Hưng said at the launch ceremony.

Hưng said hospital infection could be prevented through effective implementation of infection control programmes, of which hand hygiene was undisputedly the single most effective infection control measure in prevention of hospital-acquired infection, especially transmission of antimicrobial resistance.

A doctor performs cleaning hands at the event. Hand hygiene is undisputedly the single most effective infection control measure in prevention of hospital-acquired infection. — VNS Photo Thanh Hải

Hưng said the campaign, titled ’Protecting life: Let’s clean your hands’, aimed to strengthen awareness, knowledge and practices on hand hygiene of health workers involved in patient care at the hospital.

Statistics from the health sector revealed that some 7 per cent of illnesses in the country are due to hospital-acquired infection. A treatment course with antibiotics for 7 to 10 days after surgery is seen as a popular method at many medical facilities, which, however, has a high risk of antimicrobial resistance and resulted in increasing expenses for patients in Việt Nam.

According to the World Health Organisation, some two million patients contract hospital-acquired infections, of which 90,000 die yearly due to health workers not closely following personal hygiene regulations at hospitals, especially washing hands before direct contact with patients. — VNS