Journalism of Courage
Efforts are being made to ensure safe injection practices in India
Research has found that 62 per cent of all injections in India are unsafe,due to improper sterilisation,reuse or faulty administration. In an effort to improve and standardise safe injection practices,the Indian Academy of Pediatrics (IAP) released the ‘IAP Guidelines on Safe Injection Practices’ in association with BD,a medical technology company.
With this manual,IAP seeks to ensure that patients,healthcare workers,communities and the environment are protected from risks associated with unnecessary and unsafe injections,as well as improper disposal of medical waste. Unsafe practices are a leading cause of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs).
HAIs are infections that a patient acquires while undergoing treatment from a healthcare facility for a different medical problem. In the last 20 years,emerging diseases like HBV,HCV and HIV have intensified severity of risks from unsafe injections and unsafe waste disposal. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that globally about 1.3 million people die of infections caused by reuse of syringes per year,of which 300,000 are estimated to be in India.
The guidelines provide an analysis of the problem of unsafe injections and also provide technical specifications on safe injection techniques. A safe injection environment (SIE) is when required medication is delivered in all settings without potential harm to the patient,to the service provider,or to the community. The creation of SIE calls for integration across the spectrum of patient care and also throughout the lifecycle of the devices used from source materials and manufacturing through use and disposal.
We are committed to improving the health and well being of all people who receive injections, said Rohit C. Agrawal,National IAP President. IAP Guidelines on Safe Injection Practices will help mobilise both the healthcare workers and the community to change injection practices and improve the outcomes throughout the country.
IAP and BD have also collaborated to implement an injection safety intervention model in the state of Kerala,which is now being replicated across the country in a phased manner.
