Inauguration of the Global Patient Safety Challenge 2005-2006, "Clean Care is Safer Care"
On 14 June 2006, policy-makers, directors from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, health care and non-health care staff including doctors and nurses from Member States of the South East Asian region, WHO representatives, and journalists attended the inauguration event of the Global Patient Safety Challenge at the Oberoi Hotel, in the capital city of New Delhi, India.
Opening speeches were given by Mrs. Panabaka Lakshmi, Honorable Minister of State for Health, Government of India, Dr R K Srivastava, Director General of Health Services, Mr Prasanna Hota, Secretary, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, and Dr S. J. Habayeb, WHO Representative to India.
The central event of the inauguration was the signing of a statement committing to address health care-associated infection. In the name of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Mrs. Panabaka Lakshmi, signed the statement, and resolved to work to reduce health care-associated infection and promote the highest standards of practice and behaviour to reduce the risks associated with these infections. India thus became the 1st SEARO country to have signed the statement. Shortly after the ceremony, the morning speakers, where interviewed by journalists and TV stations.
As part of the one-day meeting, a technical session on infection prevention and control in health care followed the inauguration event with the participation of about 40 health care and non-health care professionals and experts in infection prevention and control. The meeting focused on the tools and implementation strategy of the newly developed WHO Guidelines on Hand Hygiene in Health Care (Advanced Draft), and debated the national and international mechanisms for engaging countries to participate in the "Clean Care is Safer Care" initiative.