MOPH Marks Qatar Infection Control Week

MOPH Qatar

The Ministry of Public Health (MOPH), in collaboration with Hamad Medical Corporation and Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC), marks Qatar Infection Control Week from October 17-23, under the theme, "Make Your Intention Infection Prevention".

Qatar Infection Control Week is a national initiative launched by the Ministry of Public Health through its Department of Strategic Planning and Performance, as part of the International Infection Prevention Week, to raise awareness and spread infection control concepts among all healthcare providers as well as the public in Qatar. This year's event focuses on highlighting the bravery of infection control workers during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In this context, the Ministry of Public Health, in collaboration with its partners in the health sector, is launching a virtual awareness campaign to promote awareness of infection control and prevention in health institutions in Qatar, and awareness messages are posted on social media platforms to raise awareness of infection control with focus on the theme of this year's celebration.

Hoda Amer Al Kathiri, the director of the Strategic Planning and Performance Department at the Ministry of Public Health, said: "This year's celebration of Qatar Infection Control Week follows the distinguished and successful efforts of medical teams in combating the Coronavirus pandemic, by focusing on demonstrating the great courage shown by the medical teams in their work over the past period."

She added that the Ministry of Public Health invited health institutions operating in Qatar to join and participate in the awareness campaign, with the aim of raising awareness of the importance of infection control.

Dr. Jamila Al Ajami, Executive Director of the Infection Control Department at Hamad Medical Corporation, said: "Hamad Medical Corporation's infection control teams have been working with partners in the Ministry of Public Health and the Primary Health Care Corporation since 2020 to keep the community safe from Covid-19 infection. The work of these teams focuses on reducing the risk of infection at hospitals and health centers, to protect patients and healthcare workers, as well as raising awareness among Qatar's population of the best practices to reduce the risk of the virus infection outside health care facilities."

"The preventive measures adopted by Qatar have succeeded in reducing the number of COVID-19 cases in recent months with the support of infection control teams across the healthcare system; however, despite the current promising situation in Qatar, this years theme "Make Your Intention Infection Prevention" remains a key message as each one of us plays a role in preventing any rise in COVID-19 cases in the future.

Dr. Khalid Al Awad, Director of Health Protection Department at the Primary Health Care Corporation, said that the PHCC is celebrating Qatar Infection Control Week by publishing awareness messages to promote the importance of infection prevention and control within primary health care centers and among visitors and patients, emphasizing the need to highlight the importance of infection prevention and control practices at health facilities to keep patients safe and protect them from the infection.

He added that the PHCCs infection control team has prepared some activities which will be shared with staff and patients in the health centers and posted on the media and on the social media platforms. These activities include awareness messages, video clips and educational lectures, in Arabic and English, on coronavirus and prevention, seasonal influenza vaccines and hand hygiene. Daily lectures will be given to health center staff during the week-long campaign.

Patients in health centers will also be encouraged to participate in the campaign, and there will be dedicated areas where educational materials and leaflets will be distributed to patients participating in the awareness campaign.

SOURCE: QNA