Poorer countries have higher rates of hospital infections
According to World Health Organization researchers, poorer countries have far higher
hospital infection rates than those in the developed world. These infections are
ones patients receive in the hospital, and commonly include pneumonia, urinary tract
and blood stream infections, and most commonly, infections of in the area around surgical
incisions.
Victor Rosenthal is the founder of the International Nosocomial
Infection Control Consortium, which was set up to help medical professionals stop
hospital infections.
“It’s not about money,” he told Vatican Radio. “It is
only pennies…they are really cheap stuff.”
He says infections can be prevented
by proper training, and following established sanitary procedures.
His organization
offers, for free, tools to help hospitals track infection rates and compliance with
proper hygienic protocols.
“We create a monthly report that we send to the
hospital team to guide them to perform the next interventions,” he said.
Listen
to Victor Rosenthal's full interview with Charles Collins: