Malawi and US officials recognize Mchinji District Hospital for excellence in infection prevention
June 2008
Ambassador Eastham with staff from Mchinji District Hospital.
In March, the Minister of Health in Malawi recognized the third ACCESS-supported facility for its staff's achievements in infection prevention and control (IPC) practices. The Honorable Khumbo Kachali cited Mchinji District Hospital for achieving and sustaining quality IPC practices in 14 areas of service provision. His overwhelming praise during the ceremony brought the ACCESS IPC initiative to the attention of the United States Ambassador to Malawi, Alan Eastham, who then toured the facility in May.
IPC is a major contributor to the successful implementation of Malawi's essential health package, which ensures the availability of high-quality, health care services throughout the country. The infection prevention (IP) initiative in Malawi has steadily gained support and exposure since its inception in 2001, when the Ministry of Health made IP a national priority in order to protect patients, clients, healthcare workers, the community and the environment from nosocomial infections. Focus on IP addressed widespread concerns over non-adherence to IPC practices, specifically HIV transmission, which many believed to have an adverse impact on enrollment in Malawi’s nursing and medical schools and on retention of nurses in the government health facilities.
For the past several years, USAID bilateral programs, which included Jhpiego as a partner, worked with the Ministry of Health to decrease the risk of infection transmission by improving IPC practices through the introduction of a
performance and quality improvement (PQI) model focused on IP practices in 35 facilities across Malawi. ACCESS continues to support the IP initiative in these facilities and plans to expand coverage to selected health centers.
In February, Mchinji District Hospital was awarded a shield and certificate in recognition of providing high-quality services in line with national IP standards. The recognition of the hospital gained more exposure in April when, during the opening ceremony of the health sector's Sector Wide Approach, the Minister of Health proudly described the success story of the IP initiative in Mchinji. He commended the staff and management of for their team work and commitment, and remarked on the cleanliness of the hospital. He also noted the availability of maternal and neonatal statistics for monitoring health outcomes, the presence of a routine appraisal system to reward performance of the service providers, and the effective community involvement in ensuring access to services.
About ACCESS
The ACCESS Program is the U.S. Agency for International Development’s
global program to improve maternal and newborn health. The ACCESS Program works to expand
coverage, access and use of key maternal and newborn health services across a continuum
of care from the household to the hospital—with the aim of making quality health services
accessible for women and newborns.
Jhpiego implements the program in partnership with Save the
Children, Constella Futures, the Academy for Educational Development, the American
College of Nurse-Midwives and IMA World Health.
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