Just how safe are our hospitals?

Only a handful of government hospitals have the equipment needed to clean the air that patients and doctors breathe.
The lack of air-sterilising equipment in most hospitals is taking a toll on the health of those who work there, and exposing patients to the risk of infection.
Last year, at least 25 doctors, nurses and hospital staff working in 11 general hospitals were infected with tuberculosis, Health Ministry sources said.
This figure is just a fraction of health workers who may have been infected with other infectious diseases.
Of the country’s 135 hospitals, only three have sufficient air-sterilising equipment, while another three have limited equipment resources.
While the risk of infection is part of the job, health workers who fall sick and who are carriers of diseases will put patients at risk.
At least one hospital discovered this when patients in one ward fell sick with the superbug MRSA, sources said.
When patients continued to fall ill despite repeated sterilisation and cleanliness measures, they realised that the staff were the source of infections.
An investigation revealed the staff were carriers of the superbug, an antibiotic-resistant strain of bacteria called methicillin-resistant Staphyloccus aureus.
Air-sterilisers prevent airborne transmission of diseases through a hospital’s central air-conditioning system.
According to several health experts, hospitals used to have more open designs and louvred windows that provided a good flow of clean air and ample sunlight.
These hospitals have installed air-conditioning systems which reduce air flow and cause dirty air to recirculate, encouraging cross-contamination.
Key areas where cross-contamination usually occurs include doctors’ examination rooms, intensive care units and coronary care units.
Sources said only the Kajang Hospital, Muar Hospital and Putrajaya Hospital sterilised all the air in their buildings.
The Penang Hospital and Alor Star Hospital sterilise the air in only their isolation rooms, while the Besut Hospital does it only for its emergency ward.
Specialist hospitals, the Institute for Medical Research and Institute of Respiratory Medicine also sterilise all the air in their buildings.
The hospital authorities of six other hospitals told the New Straits Times they needed the equipment.
Doctors have been asking hospital authorities for the equipment to be installed. In many cases, they were told there were no funds.
The ministry does not track how many health workers come down with illnesses.
Disease Control Division deputy director Dr Nirmal Singh said health workers faced higher risks of being infected.
"It happens not only in Malaysia but all over the world."
Doctors and nurses use protective masks but they are still three times more likely to be infected, especially with tuberculosis, said Dr Nirmal, who tracks the disease.
"The ministry has guidelines for hospital staff to abide by when examining and treating patients with infectious diseases," he said.
Source