Leading Israeli doctor calls for more funding to battle HAIs

Dr Eyal Zimlichman returned from a three-year research trip in the USA with a clear message that more funding would be needed in order to reduce HAIs in Israel. Up to 6,000 patients die from an HAI in Israel each year, with seven to ten per cent of patients contracting HAIs.

Source: The Jerusalem Post

A leading Israeli doctor has called for more work to be done to fight healthcare associated infections following a research trip to the United States.

Between seven and ten per cent of patients in Israeli hospitals contract HAIs each year with up to 6,000 dying.

Dr Eyal Zimlichman of Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer, who spent three years researching patient safety in Boston, has said more focus is needed to combat HAIs in Israel as other parts of the world see dramatic reductions in cases.

He told the Jeruslam post: “Without investing funds specifically for this purpose and hiring more personnel in the field of infection prevention, there will be no change in direction here.”

In an article in JAMA Internal Medicine, Dr Zimlichman said that the best way to attract more funding for infection prevention was better evaluation of the costs incurred in treating HAIs such as MRSA and C. Difficile – which incur an annual cost of €5.48 billion in Europe each year.

“As one of the most common sources of preventable harm, health care-associated infections represent a major threat to patient safety,” he added.