01 Mar 2015

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and hospital infections impose significant economic consequences on the healthcare system, the Minister of Health, Ms Dorcus Makgato, has said. 

Ms Makgato was officiating at the inaugural two-day Infection Control Seminar and Exhibition on February 25. Approved preventative measures and tools, she said, could greatly reduce the incidence of HAIs and as a result reduce the socio-economic burden on the healthcare system.

She also noted that her ministry would continue to do its bit by putting in place all the necessary measures and tools to prevent infections as the health professionals give care to patients. 

“I therefore, assure you of my engagement with my staff to discuss and agree on this subject matter. I will surely do my bit,” she added.

The minister encouraged all the participants to engage freely in one spirit and go back to their workstations with the aim of improving service delivery on the site to ensure that facilities were free of HAIs.  “Not only should we prevent infections to our clients, but we should also prevent infections to our caregivers,” she said.

The seminar, Ms Makgato said, was worth celebrating as it was the first of its kind in Botswana, adding that similar symposia had been held in Dubai under several parallel conferences, such as the Middle East HAIs Conference, and in South Africa at the annual Africa Health Conference and Exhibition. 

All these conferences, she said spoke to a common goal of controlling infections in healthcare facilities, “which if not properly mitigated against can have dire consequences on both the wellbeing of our citizenry and the economy due to the high costs associated with HAIs.” 

Ms Makgato applauded KUTZ & TUTZ Hygiene for having organized and hosted the seminar, and, in addition to the strengthening of health care in the country, the minister said she was also delighted that the seminar was private sector and Small Medium and Micro Enterprise (SMME)-initiated and coordinated.

“As government, we consider the SMME sector an engine of economic growth and hence tirelessly work around the clock to come up with initiatives that contribute positively to our growth. As government, we would be happy to see the private sector taking the lead to diversify the economy as well as partnering with government,” she added.

The seminar was meant to bring together Infection Control Practitioners and experts to discuss matters around HAIs and to create a networking platform which will enable healthcare givers to share ideas and resources with the ultimate goal of reducing HAIs in healthcare facilities in order to improve health outcomes.

The expertise that delegates from several countries, including the United Kingdom and South Africa, showcased in their presentations touched on areas that Ms Makgatho’s ministry was working very hard on, such as; infection control and accreditation of health facilities.

This diverse nature of delegates and presenters, which included healthcare givers from both government run and private hospitals, private service providers, such as; Hygiene companies, Cleaning Companies and Laundry Companies the Health minister said underscored the importance of private-public partnerships. ENDS