Global Safe Healthcare

Global Safe Healthcare - Print Version [PDF - 2 Pages]

Infection prevention and control is the cornerstone of a resilient healthcare system and protects health workers, patients, and the surrounding community. The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that many health systems worldwide are challenged by daily needs for healthcare safety and are unprepared to respond to the emergence of a new infectious disease.

Progress in global infection control through COVID-19 supplemental funding

As of October 2021, CDC’s International Infection Control Program has:

• Provided direct assistance to 26 countries and collaborated with 58 partner organizations on infection control.
• Provided more than 60 different trainings in India, reaching nearly 14,000 healthcare workers and 1,500 facilities in that country.
• Worked with over 770 facilities in Kenya to complete infection prevention and control assessments.

Investing in Safe Healthcare Saves Lives

Any healthcare worker loss is an unnecessary tragedy that weakens healthcare systems and risks the lives of patients. CDC has strengthened healthcare safety systems abroad since 2014, most recently expanding work abroad using COVID-19 supplemental funding in 2021.

CDC’s global healthcare safety program aims to:

• Develop systems to improve healthcare safety in low- and middle-income countries.
• Rapidly detect and contain emerging threats to healthcare settings before they spread to patients and communities.
• Protect healthcare workers and patients from infection in healthcare settings.

Future Investments in Global Healthcare Safety

Future priorities include:

• Extending CDC’s Global Action in Healthcare Network (GAIHN) to up to 10 additional partners and regions. The global collaborative network is designed to provide regional capacities to detect and respond to urgent threats to healthcare systems. It consists of countries, institutions, and partners at global, regional, national, and subnational levels working together. GAIHN addresses priority emerging threats in healthcare settings through rapid detection and response.
• Sustain and accelerate the progress made during the COVID-19 response to create sustainable healthcare safety and infection prevention and control programs for healthcare workers and patients.