Hospital infections is a worrisome matter. In fact, an estimated 6,000 Israelis die annually from infections they picked up in a hospital. That in mind, the order has been given to begin publicizing hospital infections on the Ministry of Health website to permit Israelis to decide which hospital places them at higher risk.
One of the main causes of in-hospital infections is poor hand-washing by hospital staff along with improper sterilization of equipment.
The decision to publicize the hospital infections is the result of the Movement for Freedom of Information battle demanding the ministry make the information known to the general public.
According to data released at the 10th Israel Medical Conference at the Jerusalem Convention Center on Tuesday, 12 Menachem Av, about one-third of patients contracted an in-hospital infection following colon surgery in some hospitals but in other hospitals in Israel that number is lower than 8%. This highlights the difference between hospitals in Israel, which might lead to a patient selecting one facility over another.
According to Chief of Infectious Diseases at Hadassah Hospital Dr. Shmuel Benenson, the problem in Israel is exacerbated by cleaning staff, often manpower agency workers earning a low salary.
He feels that as a result of their low salary and conditions, such a worker is often less than diligent regarding the required precautionary measures to avoid spreading infection. He explains that in England, the maintenance and sanitation staff of hospitals are hospital employees with benefits; not manpower agency employees as is often the case in Israel, often earning minimum wage. As a result, infection rates in hospitals in England are lower, explained Benenson.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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2 Responses
My husband z”l was in Hadassa Hospital a year ago and contracted a hospital borne infection . When they told me they were transferring him into an isolated room with 3 other people of the same infection and I asked how is he supposed to recover? This you call isolation? The answer I got was “This is how it is”ככה זה. three days later he died. I won’t even go into why my family and I know how and why he contracted this infection. If this comment can save 1 person’s life, it will make us happy. Speak up and get all the help and contacts you can, to get involved. We didn’t know who to turn to, but I would love to help out and share our personal feelings.We know that all is from Hashem, but we have to do our part on behalf of our loved ones.
Look up the work of Dr. Peter Pronovost of Johns Hopkins Medical Center, who is said to have saved more lives than any other laboratory scientist in recent years. He devised a simple checklist for eliminating infections and it’s saved many thousands of lives and millions, possibly billions of dollars that would have been spent in treating the infections that were prevented. Hashem yaazor.