A recent report by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) highlighted concerning inadequacies in infection prevention and control at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Port of Spain General Hospital (PoSGH). The report revealed a distressing 29% rating for precautionary measures in the NICU, with several deaths of newborns being linked to bacterial infections.
According to the report, the deaths of seven babies were possibly related to an increase in sepsis cases. Most notably, the fatalities were observed in extremely pre-term and very low birth weight neonates. The report emphasized the need for better infection prevention and control measures in the hospital.
PAHO’s recommendations included improved hand hygiene, active screening of bacteria cultures during outbreaks, better nursing ratios, policies for cleaning and disinfection, and external performance evaluations of the laboratory. Health Minister Terrence Deyalsingh acknowledged the report’s findings and extended condolences to the affected families.
The report outlined 12 specific shortcomings in PoSGH NICU, including the lack of timely breast milk feeding, inadequate nursing professional-to-patient ratios, and insufficient hand-rub dispensers. Additionally, there were concerns about the use of multi-dose medications and inconsistent skin-preparation practices.
PAHO recommended urgent improvements in the administration of NICU medications, implementation of high-level disinfection practices, and compliance monitoring of personal protective equipment protocols. The report also advised against the use of multi-dose saline vials and called for the cessation of shaving of surgical sites.
Despite these challenges, the report commended the hospital’s dedication to infection prevention and control measures and acknowledged the commitment of hospital administration and national authorities to enhance IPC measures. PAHO will continue to work with the Ministry of Health to address the identified issues promptly and ensure the safety of newborns in the NICU.
