By Kuda Pembere
The Ministry of Health and Child Care has launched an updated Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Policy and Strategic Plan aimed at managing and preventing hospital-acquired infections.
Zimbabwe established the National Infection Prevention and Control Committee (NIPCC) and, in 2014, developed its first National IPC Policy, Strategic Plan, and Monitoring and Evaluation framework.
On Tuesday, speaking at the closeout meeting for the first phase of the Antimicrobial Resistance Multi-Partner Trust Fund (AMR MPTF), the Ministry’s Director of Nursing Services, Mrs. Nyaradzai Chiwara, representing Health Minister Dr. Douglas Mombeshora, highlighted the importance of IPC in public health.
“As we launch the reviewed Infection Prevention and Control, in short it’s IPC, policy and strategic plan, we are not only reaffirming our commitment to safeguarding the health and well-being of every Zimbabwean, but we are also taking a significant leap forward in our continuous fight against infectious diseases,” said Chiwara.
“IPC is pivotal in the comprehensive efforts in prevention of transmission of pathogens in healthcare settings. IPC also ensures implementation of effective strategies to minimize the transmission and impact of disease. The primary focus being to enhance public health practices and safeguard community well-being,” she added.
Dr. Mombeshora, in remarks delivered on his behalf, emphasized the need for standardized IPC practices to protect both patients and healthcare workers.
“The main objective of the IPC program is to standardize IPC practices and to enhance the quality of practice through training, mentorship, monitoring and supervision. Improper implementation of IPC practices will result in increased transmission of infections in healthcare facilities as well as communities,” he said. “It also compromises the safety of our healthcare workers and patients. These are basically infections that you acquire when receiving care or when delivering care. So it means patients and health care personnel can all acquire healthcare-associated infections, which are also associated with high levels of antimicrobial resistance.”
Marciline Magwenzi of the Infection Control Association of Zimbabwe Trust (ICAZT) said support from the MPTF enabled a pilot survey on healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) at Sally Mugabe Central Hospital and Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals.
She said the focus was on three major HAIs namely late-onset neonatal sepsis, post-caesarean surgical site infections, and catheter-associated urinary tract infections.
With support from the MPTF, researchers successfully piloted HAI surveillance in the two hospitals and integrated data collection tools into the Ministry of Health’s DHIS2 platform.
“Our data collection tools were integrated into the DHIS2 platform right from the facility level up to the Ministry, so they could access that data,” she said. “We have a lot of data, and we’re still analyzing it. But it’s very important data that informs how we can move forward in establishing a national HAI surveillance system.”
Dr. Dechassa Tegegne, AMR Programme Officer at the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) in Southern Africa, said IPC was the most cost-effective way to tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
“In Africa, the cheapest approach we have on hand is IPC and WASH. Then, the other alternative is like a vaccine. Vaccine is not free. It’s, again, associated with cost,” he said.
“But the cheapest ones, which are going to be in place, we have to increase our IPCs. If you look at the health-associated infections in the presentation we just presented today, then we realize that it’s a very hot spot. Let investors give a priority for the cheap approach we have on hand. Let’s strengthen the health set-ups, the infection prevention control systems, the WASH protocols. That one, we’ll just subsequently go through the other approach, but we have to prioritize what is the primary approach we’re going to invest in. In Africa, the best approach which we have, the cheapest one, is strengthening our IPCs, strengthening our WASH systems, and raising awareness in communities.”
World Health Organization (WHO) Zimbabwe Representative Dr. Desta Tiruneh said there was a need to expand hospital-acquired infection surveillance nationwide.
“So the achievements I would like to mention—allow me to mention this again. First, the revision of the Infection Prevention and Control Policy and Strategy, which was emphasized by my colleague from the World Organization for Animal Health, is a key and low-cost intervention to address antimicrobial resistance,” he said.
