RAK Hospital on its way to create 100% infection-free environment

The hospital becomes the first healthcare institution in the UAE to introduce the practice of sterilising door handles and other surfaces every two hours; maximises patient safety against infections with innovative measures

• Has reduced the level of communicable diseases within the premises to minimum
• Prevalence of healthcare-associated infection in developed countries varies between 3.5 percent and 12 percent; 7 out of 100 hospitalised patients acquire at least one nosocomial-related infection
• High risk areas include the dental department, operation theatres, central sterile departments and isolation rooms where communicable disease patients are kept 
• Most common infections are those contracted post-surgery, ventilator-associated pneumonia, blood-stream infection and urinary tract infection, among others.

Ras Al Khaimah, UAE, July 13, 2016:  With the vision to create 100 percent infection-free environment, RAK Hospital has chalked up yet another feat by acquiring maximum defence against hospital-acquired infections. In the past three months, the hospital has reduced the level of communicable diseases within the premises to almost zero percent with a few, intelligent measures. These include regularly disinfecting door handles and other surfaces that people generally come in contact with – the first hospital in the UAE to do so – besides measuring the use of hand sanitisers to ensure strict compliance. Moreover, in the past one year, there was not a single case reported of acquired Urinary Tract Infection (UTI), Blood Stream Infection and Ventilator Associated Pneumonias in the hospital premises.

“It’s an established fact that many people contract infection after entering a hospital premises,” explained Dr Raza Siddiqui, CEO Arabian Healthcare Group and Executive Director of RAK Hospital, “Therefore utmost care is taken to minimize the possibility of infections whether at patients’ level or at the staff’s. Besides sterilising various surfaces every two hours, other measures include handing out disinfectant towels to everyone the moment they enter the hospital. As evident by the favourable results we got over a period of a few months, the hospital-acquired infection – also known as nosocomial – has reduced significantly.”

As per World Health Organisation, at any given time, the prevalence of healthcare-associated infection in developed countries varies between 3.5 percent and 12 percent. Hundreds of millions of patients are effected every year, resulting in a number of deaths, major financial losses besides draining resources of healthcare institutions. According to WHO, 7 out of 100 hospitalised patients acquire at least one nosocomial-related infection. The high risk areas in the hospital include the dental department, operation theatres, central sterile departments and isolation rooms, where communicable disease patients are kept, while the most common infections are those contracted post-surgical, ventilator-associated pneumonia, blood-stream infection and urinary tract infection, among others.

“Containing such infections has been a challenge for hospitals world over and we are proud that RAK Hospital has made great strides in improving the situation besides contributing innovative methods to the UAE healthcare sector,” added Dr Raza Siddiqui.

Over the years, RAK Hospital has won the public’s trust for patient care and safety. The hospital also conducted a Hand Hygiene Awareness campaign last year catered toward medical staff, patients, their families and public at large to help people understand the importance of clean, sterilised hands and how they can potentially save lives.