Improving injection safety.

13. Médecins Sans Frontières. Untangling the web of price reductions: a pricing guide for the purchase of antiretroviral drugs for developing countries. 10th ed. July 2007. A. The availability and affordability of selected essential medicines for chronic diseases in six low-and middle-income countries. Inadequate infection prevention and control (IPC) practices have highlighted concerns about the medical transmission of blood-borne and airborne pathogens in South Africa. The National Department of Health (NDOH) and its partners have renewed efforts to minimise the risk of health care-associated transmissions. The success of this endeavour depends on the involvement and dedication of doctors, nurses and all those who handle health risk waste. The project promotes interventions aimed at preventing the transmission of health care-acquired infections and other blood-borne illnesses like HIV and AIDS by improving injection safety practices. These include safe management of sharps waste and promoting the rational use of injections. The project supports the strategies of the Safe Injection Global Network and the World Health Organization ensuring: the availability of appropriate injection-related commodities in medical settings; behaviour change and communications including training; to support the administration of safe and necessary injections; and appropriate health care waste management. MMIS supports Government efforts through the Departments (or Ministries) of Health and Environment, helping to implement a range of activities. These include the development and/or review of policies, the development of norms and standards, the introduction of their use, and monitoring their maintenance. The Departments or Ministries of Health also guide the implementation of training and behaviour change and communication activities, either for injection safety as a stand-alone programme area or, as in South Africa, within the context of IPC. Such activities have led to the development of the country's first training manual on injection safety and the production of print, video, and computer-based educational materials for health care personnel. This training content is structured for different audiences, including top and middle managers of health care facilities, clinical staff, general assistants and waste handlers. The country has seen an increase in infant deaths associated with poor injection equipment use and practices, leading to outbreaks of Klebsiella as well as anecdotal reports of medical transmission of HIV. These incidents have influenced the public and policy makers on IPC and overall safety, particularly in public health hospitals. Rose Mulumba is a medical doctor with training in epidemiology and public health. Currently Country Director for the John Snow Research …