Infection Prevention and Control (IPC)
The health care environment is one of the leading forms of transmission for infections, including blood borne viruses such as hepatitis. Poor medical waste management and health safety practices are largely attributed to being the cause of this transmission. Since 2009, FIRE has conducted health safety training for health care workers along with with distribution of medical waste management supplies.
In July 2014 until June 2018, FIRE worked with the Canadian Society for International Health (CSIH) to provide consulting services to the Mongolian Ministry of Health (MoH) for the Asian Development Bank-funded Fifth Health Sector Development Project (FiHSDP), for improving health safety in hospitals across Mongolia.
Quick Facts
To prevent the risk of disease transmission to health care workers, and eventually to the general public, FIRE developed a systematic training program for healthcare workers. Since 2009, in accordance with the National Strategy for Improving Health Care Waste Management in Mongolia, FIRE has supported improvement in medical waste management and health safety practices at every state health care facility in 10 out of 21 provinces. These improvements include training health care workers, providing on-site technical support, and supply distribution. Training materials included instructional videos, posters, pamphlets, and necessary medical waste management supplies including biohazard waste bags, sharp boxes, and medical waste containers.
Three months after completing the training and distributing supplies, FIRE conducted a monitoring and evaluation trip. FIRE visited each hospital and provided further training and technical support as needed. The supplies and training allowed health care workers and administrators to upgrade their medical waste management practices, thereby protecting themselves and their patients from disease.
Specific topics covered include:
- Proper hand hygiene including hand washing and the use of hand sanitizer
- Internationally accepted “universal precautions” to prevent contact with bodily fluid
- Injection safety procedures
- Correct use of medical waste management supplies
- Use of personal protective equipment (PPE)
These supplies include:
- Plastic sharp boxes complete with needle removers
- 30 liter plastic watertight containers for infectious waste
- 60 liter plastic containers for transporting and storing medical waste
- Red and yellow plastic bags for biohazardous, infectious waste
There is currently no one addressing the issue of dental infection at clinics. According to the General Agency for Specialized Inspection, 63% of private dental clinics in Mongolia are at moderate to high risk of spreading infection. An estimated 95% of all dental clinics in Mongolia are private.
FIRE is working with local and international infection, prevention, and control experts to develop a comprehensive intervention program to make dental clinics safe for all of Mongolia.
