Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH) has said it wants to end cases of infection that account for at least 15 percent of all infections at the facility.
Nurse-in-charge for QECH main operating theatre, Taweni Chiumia, made specific mention of nosocomial infections, which occur frequently in gastrointestinal, respiratory and urinary tracts as well as at surgical incision sites.
“We are training our nurses and theatre assistants on theatre scrubbing. We want them to gain and improve knowledge and skills and attitudes towards basic theatre activities.
“By doing so, we are also improving our service delivery to patients,” Chiumia said.
QECH is undertaking the initiative in collaboration with Oslo University Hospital, Johns Hopkins and Oslo Blantyre Project among others.
A report published in the Ethiopian Journal of Health in 2012 indicates that hospital-acquired infections constitute a major public health problem worldwide.
According to the report, nearly 40 percent of roughly 300 people that underwent operations in most hospitals in Africa and Asia acquired infections.
According to the report, anyone admitted to a hospital is at risk of contracting nosocomial infections.
