Secretary's Address, XI HISICON 2011
National Conference of Hospital Infection Society - India

The challenges faced by all of us throughout the world of infection prevention and control, remain the same, the objectives clearly being defined as minimizing the risk of acquiring health care associated infections and how to decrease antimicrobial resistance.

The experts and renowned academicians from India and abroad dealt with peculiar problems in our healthcare and deliberated upon the various issues in interactive sessions focused on ground realities and practical aspects during the recent XI-HISICON with the theme - "Antimicrobial Resistance - turning back the clock". They not only made us richer by their experience and expertise but also in their collective wisdom, laid down the path ahead for infection prevention and control in our country - a path that is practical, implement-able and caters to all diverse healthcare setups across the country. We made a special thrust towards the future, with focus shifting to nursing as the pivot of infection control processes and program in India. A well defined workshop was organized separately keeping this in mind.

Prevention, and prevention alone, has the capability of turning back the clock. The core of a successful infection control program lies in touching each and every corner of healthcare contributors and getting it integrated into the routine protocols - whether it is human resources, pharmacy, kitchen, engineering, construction, housekeeping, technical staff, nursing or doctors at all hierarchy levels. This is irrespective, whether it is radiology, labs, emergency services, operation theatres, intensive care units , dental setups or ophthalmology units, rehabilitation, outpatient clinics, wards, cath labs, endoscopy / bronchocopy suites, dialysis services, isolation rooms or the central sterile supply department (CSSD) - and more like the voyages of the Starship Enterprise - anywhere, 'where no man (or woman) has ever gone before'.

The community cannot remain untouched by the affairs of the healthcare setups. Pharmaceuticals, diagnostics and device manufacturers are an integral part of this milieu and need to be totally integrated with prevention and control of infection and minimizing emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance amongst microbes.