…Poor hygiene, untrained cleaners undermine infection control
Patients seeking treatment in private or public hospitals risk contracting additional infections because of poor hygiene, inadequate infection prevention measures and the deployment of untrained cleaners and support staff, a medical research scientist, Dr Cashmir Ifeanyi, has warned.
Ifeanyi said patients could develop infections they did not have before admission, including surgical site, urinary tract and bloodstream infections, because of lapses in infection prevention and control (IPC) practices.
He cited a systematic review reporting healthcare-associated infection rates of between 15.7 and 20.6 per cent in Nigeria, warning that the burden could be inadequately documented because of weaknesses in the country’s health data system.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with The Nation to mark Clean Hospitals Day on October 20, themed “Empowered Teams, Reduced Risk,” he said patients should not face additional health risks while receiving medical care.
“You go to receive healthcare and end up with what you did not take to the hospital,” he said.
The scientist identified poor cleaning practices, inadequate supplies, improper handling of medical consumables and weak waste management as factors that could expose patients to infections.
He recounted an experience at the accident and emergency unit of a specialist hospital in Abuja, where he paid for gloves while seeking care for a patient.
He also raised concerns about medical consumables being repackaged into small improvised packages, warning that improper handling could compromise the cleanliness of items intended for patient care.
Ifeanyi said some health facilities lacked adequate infection prevention supplies, while antiseptics and disinfectants were sometimes used interchangeably despite serving different purposes.
He warned that the problem was not simply the absence of infection control guidelines but the failure to implement and monitor them consistently.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has developed infection prevention and control guidelines, but Ifeanyi, a member of its technical working group on IPC, said implementation at facility level remained inadequate.
He called for stronger systems to ensure that hospitals follow standard procedures for cleaning wards, handling blood and other body fluids, disposing of healthcare waste and protecting patients from contamination.
The scientist also identified the recruitment and training of cleaners, ward assistants and other non-clinical personnel as a major concern.
According to him, some are recruited through contractors without adequate training in hospital hygiene, waste management, patient handling or infection prevention.
He said some support staff also lacked appropriate protective clothing, potentially exposing themselves and patients to infectious materials.
“The lack of adequate training of these people contributes significantly to breaches of infection prevention and control protocols,” he said.
Ifeanyi urged the Federal Ministry of Health to establish clear standards for recruiting, training and deploying hospital cleaners and other support personnel.
He also called on the NCDC to strengthen facility-level implementation of its guidelines and ensure that hospitals have functional quality management systems to monitor compliance.
He said hospitals should provide appropriate protective equipment, maintain adequate hygiene supplies and enforce proper waste segregation.
The scientist warned that infections acquired during healthcare could complicate recovery and expose patients to further health risks, particularly when basic precautions were neglected.
He said healthcare facilities should be held accountable where negligence leading to an infection is established.
“People who come to seek care should not have the added burden of hospital-acquired infection. There is no reason why they should get that,” he said.