Barriers and facilitators of establishing an infection prevention and control program focused on TB prevention at a referral hospital in northern Ethiopia

Ethiopian Federal Ministry of Health does not mandate the establishment of infection prevention and control programs at public hospitals in Ethiopia. Nosocomial infections are a primary concern due to lack of infection prevention and control programs set in place in large referral hospitals in rural Ethiopia. A situational analysis by a US-based non-profit organization, I-TECH, found that 40 staff members in Gondar University Hospital (GUH) in Northern Ethiopia had active TB between 2008-2010, compared to one or two in other facilities supported by I-TECH. The purpose of this project was to reestablish a dissolved infection prevention and control program at GUH focusing on nosocomial TB infection prevention.

We conducted informal interviews with staff members both at I-TECH Ethiopia and GUH regarding the need for an IPC program. GUH formed a team of eight members for an Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) committee and conducted weekly meetings during which the committee developed an IPC Plan and an action plan with timeline. There was close follow-ups from I-TECH members in the field regarding the progress of the IPC Committee. Recent reports from the field suggest that activities on infection prevention and prevention are being implemented successfully at GUH. Recommendations for a successful program include close monitoring, strong partnership, and constant follow-up. Larger issues such as overburdening of hospital staff, lack of funding, and leadership gaps need more research.