Infection Control Workshop Oct. 24-26

Healthcare professionals in Jamaica and the Caribbean are to participate in an Infection Control workshop to be held from October 24 to 26, 2018, at The Knutsford Court Hotel in New Kingston.

The initiative targets policymakers, health professionals in the public and private sectors, members of infection control committees across health facilities, medical doctors, nurses, veterinarians, and other health professionals with an interest in infection control.

Speaking at the media launch today (September 5) in Kingston, Minister of Health, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, said infection control is an ongoing issue, noting that “we always have to continue to be on our guard”.

“We have to be always prepared. Infectious diseases are not static… they change over time. There was a study I saw recently that suggests that because of the common use of alcohol-based products, there is increasing resistance,” Dr. Tufton said.

“[This is] another huge reason why keeping abreast with those changes and adjusting to deal with the dynamic nature of the risk is so absolutely critical and justifies not just a once-in-a-while training course but an ongoing upgrading of the skill sets,” he added.

For her part, Advisor, Health Surveillance, Disease Prevention and Control at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Dr. Valeska Stempliuk, noted that globally, millions of people are affected every year by avoidable infections in healthcare settings.

“Consider the role played by people in charge of preventing these infections in healthcare settings, such as infection prevention and control nurses and doctors. The training of these people is very important. Providing training that guarantees the health institutions have competent professionals who can effectively prevent or constrain these infections is imperative,” Dr. Stempliuk said.

Infection control refers to the biological, administrative, and regulatory systems for the prevention and containment of disease-causing organisms or germs.

Whereas infection control is a well-developed field in larger economies such as North America and the United Kingdom, developing and emerging economies lag somewhat in standardisation, training opportunities, systems for implementation, monitoring, and research.

The workshop is expected to support and complement ongoing local efforts in developing training programmes, and existing infection control protocols and standard procedures from the Ministry of Health of Jamaica.

The workshop is being hosted by Para Caribe Consulting Limited, and will include presenters from the Ministry of Health, University of the West Indies, University Hospital of the West Indies, and several leading health educational institutions in the United States and the United Kingdom.