New Delhi: Alarmed by the chance of sufferers contracting HIV and viral hepatitis by way of unsafe medical procedures, the Nationwide Medical Fee (NMC) has directed medical schools throughout the nation to tighten injection security practices, warning that such infections are solely preventable however can happen when primary safeguards are ignored.
In a nationwide advisory, the medical schooling regulator stated unsafe injection practices can result in outbreaks of blood-borne infections, together with HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C, and requested establishments to make sure strict compliance with an infection prevention and management norms.
The Fee has ordered all medical schools to make use of solely sterile, single-use needles and syringes and strictly prohibit their reuse beneath any circumstances. It has additionally directed hospitals to strengthen hand hygiene practices and guarantee correct segregation and disposal of injection-related waste.
Calling affected person security a “non-negotiable mandate”, the NMC stated there must be zero tolerance for practices similar to syringe reuse, unsafe vial sharing, recapping of needles and improper disposal of sharps.
The advisory assumes significance as India administers hundreds of thousands of injections on daily basis throughout private and non-private healthcare services. Public well being specialists have lengthy warned that even a single lapse in injection security can expose a number of sufferers to probably life-threatening infections.
To cut back dangers additional, the NMC has suggested medical schools to progressively undertake safety-engineered auto-disable syringes that can’t be reused. Establishments have additionally been requested to conduct periodic coaching and competency assessments for healthcare staff dealing with injections and different invasive procedures.
The regulator has directed hospitals to report needle-stick accidents and any cluster of infections for investigation. Hospital authorities have additionally been requested to make sure post-exposure prophylaxis for healthcare staff as per Nationwide AIDS Management Organisation (NACO) pointers and conduct common audits by way of infection-control groups.
The advisory underscores rising concern amongst well being authorities that preventable healthcare-associated infections proceed to pose a risk to affected person security and that strict adherence to plain protocols stays the best defence in opposition to transmission of blood-borne illnesses.
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