FIRE assisted the Canadian Society for International Health (CSIH), as they led phase 2 of the Fifth Health Sector Development Project (FiHSDP). This project matched local experts with international experts in areas of blood safety, health care waste management, and infection prevention and control to provide technical support for policy development, facility planning, and capacity building. Health care workers were trained, upgraded equipment was provided to hospitals, and precise technical guidelines were developed. The advancements established through this project will ensure that educational resources, medical equipment, and waste management procedures meet internationally accepted standards.

By implementing the health care safety project, ADB and the Mongolian government not only strengthened day-to-day blood safety and waste management practices for hospitals but also improved preparedness for emergencies in case of natural disasters. The main areas of focus were three aspects of health care safety, including blood transfusions, medical waste management, and hospital-acquired infection prevention and control. Through this project, the following measures were taken to increase safety in health care facilities:

Safe Blood Transfusions
o An internationally accredited transfusion center will be established in Ulaanbaatar
o Capacity building activities will be implemented for health care workers to increase their knowledge of safe blood transfusion practices.

Medical Waste Management
o The central medical waste management facility will be expanded and upgraded to meet international standards.
o The national medical waste management system used by hospitals will be upgraded to meet national standards.

Infection Prevention and Control
o Microbiology laboratories in hospitals will be upgraded to meet national standards.
o An effective surveillance system will be put into place for hospital-acquired infections.
o Capacity building activities will be implemented for health care workers, health care authorities, and administrative staff to increase their knowledge of infection control procedures.

Program Partners