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Al Wasl Hospital launches infection control campaign

DUBAI -- Dr Abdulla Al Khayat, CEO of Al Wasl Hospital today launched infection control campaign aimed at educating patients, visitors and hospital staff about the importance of hand hygiene to prevent spread of infections.

The campaign is in line with the international infection control week which was recently celebrated in October under the theme, “Spreading knowledge, preventing infections.”

Dr Abdulla highlighted the importance of safe hand washing to prevent the spread of infections. He said in addition to healthcare professionals, even the common public should be aware of the significance of this simple practise.

Dr Dujana Al Hamed, Head of Prevention and Infection Control Office at Al Wasl Hospital said the campaign re-emphasised the importance of comprehensive hand hygiene for healthcare professionals which includes hand washing, scrubbing and the use of alcohol hand rubs.

She said for patients effective hand hygiene including through hand washing should be sufficient. “We feel there is a need to educate patients and visitors about hand hygiene because although it seems like a mundane and routine task, it is very important to prevent the spread of infections and reduce avoidable illness.”

She said this is particularly important when dealing with infants. “After the birth of a baby, we educate the mother about the importance of infection control. Babies do not have a mature immune system and therefore there are more susceptible to developing infections. We educate mothers about the importance of effective hand washing and also educate them to request visitors to wash their hands before touching a newborn baby. These are basic steps but are very effective to reduce the risk of avoidable diseases.”

The campaign was inaugurated in the presence of senior DHA officials including Dr Jamila Shaikh, Director of Medical Affairs at Al Wasl Hospital.