JEDDAH, 11 September 2004 — More than 300 regional and international specialists are expected to attend the 2nd Middle East Patient Safety Congress at the Crowne Plaza Hotel from today till Monday.
It will be complemented by a parallel exhibition showcasing infection control products and solutions for hospitals and clinics. The congress will focus on the critical area of infection control in hospitals and public health care facilities in the region.
“Hospital acquired infections, such as Methicyllin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA), are often referred to as “Superbugs” and pose a serious threat to both hospitalized patients and the broader community,” said John Hassett, IIR Middle East exhibitions director, health care division, the organizers of the congress. “These bacteria are a cause for major concern in even the most sophisticated countries and health care facilities in the modern and developing world as they cause serious infections, such as surgical wound infections and pneumonia, and are resistant to ordinary antibiotics,” he added.
Cross infections and “Superbugs” have become a major issue in other parts of the world. Britain, for example, has been labeled “the MRSA capital of Europe,” with an estimated 5,000 people dying every year due to infections picked up in hospitals, the majority of which are thought to be caused by MRSA. Health authorities in Saudi Arabia are becoming more aware of these issues and have already began addressing them.
Last year, in cooperation with the Makkah Region Quality Program of the Health Services Development Council, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center in Jeddah held a two-day symposium and workshop on the basics in infection control in health care facilities.
Hospital acquired infection poses significant clinical and economic burden and the Kingdom faces unique challenges when addressing infection control especially during the annual pilgrimage. Infectious hazards at the Haj include meningococcal meningitis, respiratory tract infection and blood borne diseases, all of which have international ramifications as pilgrims returning home transport the infections across borders.
“After doing surveys in many hospitals in the Makkah region, it became obvious to us at KFSH and at the Makkah region quality program that knowledge and practices of infection control are deficient and most of the time outdated. This can definitely have serious implications on patients care and patients well-being, considering the high mortality and high morbidity associated with hospital acquired infections, and considering their impact on length of stay and cost of care,” said Dr. Samar Badreddine to Arab News.
“Approximately six percent of the patients who enter hospitals in Saudi Arabia acquire an infection from the hospital,” she said. The goal of the symposium was to identify the ways and reduce the rate of acquiring an infection at a hospital.
“It is the job of infection control practitioners present at every hospital to make sure that every employee who comes in contact with the patients and everything within each department and service provided to the patient follow the infection control programs,” she said.
A few months ago, King Abdul Aziz Medical City held a workshop for wound care. KAMC Hospital is one of the hospitals using the most advanced wound care methods with great success. The issue is of significance for patients that might have a setback in their treatment if the wounds resulting from their disease are not treated effectively or were infected.
