Health Minister T. Harish Rao on Monday said that infection control in hospitals is a collective responsibility, which is not only limited to doctors, but also requires the participation of support staff and others working in the hospital.
He was speaking at a program on prevention, early detection and management of infection organized by Modern Government Maternity Hospital, Petalburj here. “We are suggesting every government hospital in the state to set up an infection control committee. A doctor should be nominated to head it. The committee members visit the hospital daily and then hold weekly review meetings to increase efficiency. Doctors should also pay special attention to the sterilization of medical equipment.
Shri Harish Rao further said that the government has placed an amount of 20-50 lakhs at the disposal of the hospital superintendents so that there is no dearth of funds in terms of equipment maintenance and hygiene standards. Despite this, if we get to hear the excuse that there was no fund to maintain cleanliness, then it is not fair, the minister said.
Apart from this, he said that Telangana is at number three in the country in terms of lowest maternal mortality rate. “Though we are in a far better position than the national average, we still need to achieve numbers like Kerala, which has only 19 maternal deaths per 1 lakh population. We need to work towards achieving the top position in the country,” said Mr. Harish Rao.
two MCH centers
The Health Minister announced that two new Maternal and Child Health Centers are coming up in the city, one at NIMS and the other at Gandhi Hospital. The latter is expected to be inaugurated in a month. Harish Rao said that the NIMS center will have 250 beds while Gandhi Hospital will have 200 beds.