NICA urges govt to make sufficient budget for infection prevention, control
The Nigerian Infection Control Association (NICA), an Umbrella body for Infection Prevention Control Practitioners has called on government at all levels to make sufficient provisions in their annual budgets for infection prevention and control.
The association made the call at its 2016 annual conference held in Abuja recently with the theme: “Breaking the chain of transmission: Infection control and epidemics”.
The communique was signed by the chairman of the association, Professor FT Ogunsola and Chairman, Local Organising Committee of NCIC, Professor A.T. Olayinka.
While noting the conscientious efforts and steps the Federal Government of Nigeria is taking towards controlling life threatening infections within the country, the association solicits for the cooperation of all relevant stakeholders towards government’s determination to establish a National Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Network.
The association also implored government to compel all heads of government hospitals to make the establishment of Infection Prevention and Control programmes mandatory to enhance the prevention of transmission of infection as provided for in the National Health Act 2014.
“There is need for development of National Guidelines on infection prevention and control so as to operationalise the policy on it.
“Certification programmes and career lines should be developed for Infection Prevention and Control practitioners. There is need also for Nigeria to team up with the International Community on Global Health Security as it relates to Infection Prevention and Control,” the communique read in part.
The association also noted that infection prevention and control should be included in undergraduate Curricula of Medical and allied Health Care Professionals.
Furthermore, it says, research into infection prevention and control should be funded to ensure that local processes and procedure are developed to mitigate the impact of infections in the local environments.
