WHO, as part of the National Technical Working Group, assisted in the development of new national guidelines for IPC launched in April 2020. To assess compliance to IPC guidelines first-hand, WHO Pakistan conducted two initial rapid assessment of health care facilities. WHO technical documents on IPC have also been translated and adapted to the Pakistan context for implementation around the country. WHO has also played a significant role in training health care workers on important IPC practices. Over 12 000 health care workers in Pakistan have been trained to date in either online or hands-on training sessions.
WHO Pakistan is focusing on supporting and boosting infection prevention and control (IPC) measures in the country’s health facilities, to deal with rising COVID-19 cases. The risks of health care-associated infections in low-income countries are 2 to 20 times higher when compared to those in high-income countries. WHO Pakistan has prioritized the “Clean Care” initiative as integral to the government’s response to COVID-19. The initiative strives to create better procedures, training, auditing and management processes and to improve compliance to IPC standards.
Read more about WHO’s support of Pakistan’s IPC reform measures on the WHO/EMRO site