Margaret Leong1
1Pacific Community, Private Mailbag, Suva, Fiji
Abstract:
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that all member countries should implement the minimum requirements for Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) which includes a functional national and healthcare facility level IPC programme, national IPC guidelines, IPC education and training, Healthcare Associated Infection (HAI) surveillance, multimodal strategies, monitoring/audit of IPC practices and feedback, and supporting the built environment, materials and equipment for IPC.
Prior to 2020 there was a lack of regional IPC support for the Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs). However, since 2020, the Pacific Community (SPC) has been working with PICTs to develop IPC programs and build capacity at both the national and facility level. SPC’s aim is for PICTs to have functional IPC programs which are essential to strengthening national capacity to respond to outbreaks and health emergencies and prevent HAI’s and antimicrobial resistance.
To-date significant improvement continues to be made in IPC in a number of member countries including review and updates to national IPC guidelines, IPC action plans, development of standardized standard operating procedures for surgical site infection surveillance and HAI bloodstream infection surveillance and capacity building for hand hygiene program development including standardised hand hygiene audit training.