8 March 2016
As part of our ongoing work in Gaza, Medical Aid for Palestinians is designing and implementing a number of projects which aim to enhance the overall quality of patient care, and increase the capacity and skills of local surgeons at hospitals across the territory.
Alongside these initiatives, the sterilisation of medical equipment and infection control procedures in the hospitals has been identified as vital to improving patients' health. To this end, in late 2015 MAP conducted a needs assessment to identify service gaps and essential material support that would help boost steralisation and infection control in Gaza.
MAP invited Dr. Robert Spencer, MB BS MSc FRCP[G] FRCPath Hon DipHIC, a consultant in clinical and environmental microbiology from the UK, to assess the situation for infection control at Gaza hospitals, with a focus on Shifa hospital. This assessment has identified that a key area for intervention by MAP would be the sterilisation unit at the Operating Room at Shifa.
Knowing that training outside of Gaza is currently extremely difficult due to restrictions on the movement of medical personnel in an out of the territory, MAP has committed to improving the overall service by providing training inside Gaza to dedicated staff on sterilisation techniques with Dr. Spencer. MAP will also provide essential equipment to the hospital.
You can read the full assessment report in Arabic and English now.