National Action Plan on Injection Safety launched

Islamabad : Pakistan’s long history of HIV and hepatitis C outbreaks associated with unsafe injection practices has finally led to the development of an advanced draft of the National Action Plan on Injection Safety, which was launched here Tuesday with three broad action areas namely, regulations, creation of an enabling environment, and community empowerment.An initiative of the Ministry of National Health Services and the World Health Organisation (WHO), the document was unveiled in the presence of Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Dr. Zafar Mirza, WHO Representative Dr. Palitha Mahipala, Director General Health Dr. Assad Hafeez, health representatives from the provinces, and other stakeholders.Terming unsafe injection practices “a national challenge,” Dr. Zafar said a National Task Force on Injection Safety has been notified, local manufacturers and importers of syringes have been brought on board, and now a document articulating Pakistan’s national response to the health crisis has been developed. He solicited the support of the provinces for collective implementation of the multi-pronged strategies outlined in the document.Shedding light on the Action Plan, Dr. Zafar explained that within the purview of enhanced regulations, issues like supply of sub-standard syringes will be halted; rational use of injectable medicines will be promoted; quackery and malpractices will be addressed; and arrangements will be fostered for adequate management of healthcare waste. An enabling environment will be created through introduction of auto-disable syringes for therapeutic injections. Pakistan must switch over to the WHO recommended auto-disable safety engineered syringes by 2020. Moreover, healthcare workers will be trained on rational prescription of injections. Improving infection prevention and control and appropriate management of sharps and healthcare waste management will also be prioritised. The community empowerment component will include empowerment of patients and the community to question the provider regarding the need for an injection, and whether the syringe is new and sealed. “All of this may sound ambitious but there is no other way to do it,” he added.Dr. Mahipala said unsafe injection practices place a substantial burden of blood-borne injections like HIV and Viral Hepatitis, both of which are important public health issues in Pakistan. “The problem of injection safety in Pakistan is multi-faced. On the one hand, people receive the highest number of injections (8 injections per person per year) globally, while on the other hand, higher rates of reuse of disposable injections on multiple patients has been well documented. An observational study in Karachi, published in 2000, documented 90% of injections given with syringes reused on more than one patient,” he pointed out.Recollecting the HIV outbreaks in Pakistan, the WHO chief talked about the first outbreak that occurred in Jalalpur Jattan in Punjab in 2008 where 88 patients were found HIV positive due to exposure to unsafe injections; the second one in Kot Imrana in Sargodha district in 2018 where 699 patients were confirmed HIV positive; and the latest one in Larkana where over 1,204 people have so far been confirmed positive.Dr. Mahipala stated that among the other drivers for unsafe injections includes the belief of the recipient client to get quick relief by getting an injection. “We must also realize that most unsafe injection practices occur in private healthcare settings, at the hands of general practitioners, and in some cases nurses, paramedics and dispersers,” he said. Dr. Mahipala added that WHO has not only introduced the concept of injection safety worldwide, but has also come up with series of policy, management and advocacy tools to support and help countries access safe, affordable equipment and supplies; and promote training of health staff and rational use of syringes, both within and outside healthcare settings. “The emphasis is to have injection procedures that are safe, not only for recipients but also for providers and the community where the injection instruments and waste is finally disposed of,” he added, assuring WHO’s fullest support in implementation of the Action Plan.Dr. Assad Hafeez expressed the belief that Pakistan may control the burden bold-borne diseases by 60% or more if it is able to stop the reusage of syringes by switching over from conventional to auto-disable syringes. Terming the implementation of the Action Plan as a challenge, he invited the provincial governments along with multinational donors and partners to join hands to make it possible.

from The News International - Islamabad https://ift.tt/2tuYxu3