Nursing official at the Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC)’s Infection Control Department, nurse Tahira Anwar, said that the Health Ministry has taken all pre-emptive and precautionary measures to ensure the safety of health workers and patience ever since China announced the discovery of the first coronavirus (COVID-19) case in Wuhan in December, 2019.
 
In a statement marking the World Patient Safety Day 2020, themed “Health Worker Safety: A Priority for Patient Safety”, she said that SMC’s Infection Control Department had put forward the necessary mechanisms for the best ways the Health Ministry’s workers deal with suspected cases.
 
She added that the Infection Control Department had devised a plan to confront COVID-19, including mechanisms to transport active cases to SMC or any other isolation and treatment facilities, in order to ensure the safety of patients and health workers.
 
She pointed out that a specialised medical team was also formed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 infections at SMC, in addition to the provision of the required prevention and sanitisation supplies.
 
The Infection Control Department has also held numerous theoretical and practical educational courses for all health sector personnel on ways to implement the precautionary measures in accordance with the standards of the World Health Organisation, she added.