Approval of the National Action Plan on infection control in healthcare facilities for the 2025-2030 period in Vietnam

Approval of the National Action Plan on infection control in healthcare facilities for the 2025-2030 period in Vietnam​ (Image from the internet)

On January 3, 2025, the Minister of Health of Vietnam issued Decision 38/QD-BYT approving the “National Action Plan on infection control in healthcare facilities for the 2025-2030 period”.

Approval of the National Action Plan on infection control in healthcare facilities for the 2025-2030 period in Vietnam

The plan outlines specific measures to implement infection control in health care facilities in Vietnam as follows:

(1) Strengthening management capacity and completing policies on infection control

- Implement the national infection control plan and periodically review and summarize the results.

- Develop and issue the infection control plan for the 2025-2030 period and annually at the Departments of Health, Ministry of Health, and sector levels, and at basic and specialized health care facilities; clearly define the budget for each activity, assign responsible units and personnel for direction and monitoring; implement and report results annually.

- Establish a specialized advisory council on infection control for the Ministry of Health, Departments of Health, and the health sector.

- Supplement human resources and enhance the capacity of the lead unit responsible for directing, organizing implementation, monitoring, and supporting infection control activities at the affiliated units of the Ministry of Health, Departments of Health, the health sector, and health care facilities.

- Harmonize contents, coordination mechanisms, and organize implementation of infection control activities within national health programs such as antibiotic management, patient safety, epidemic prevention, infectious disease prevention, vaccination, occupational safety, and biosafety.

- Update and amend Circular No. 16/2018/TT-BYT regulating infection control in health care facilities and organize implementation.

- Develop and issue an evaluation criteria set for infection control quality and organize training and guidance for health care facilities to implement.

- Update, develop, supplement policies, laws, regulations, technical procedures, and professional guidelines on infection control and organize implementation.

- Develop, update, and issue infection control regulations and procedures based on laws, Ministry of Health guidelines, with clearly assigned responsibilities for related departments and organizational implementation.

- Mobilize resources from international organizations and public-private partnerships.

(2) Enhancing training and improving infection control capabilities of health personnel

- Develop programs, materials, and organize continuous and specialized infection control training; Promote scientific research activities on hospital infections and infection control, providing evidence to improve infection control quality and patient safety.

- Train national and regional infection control experts.

- Train personnel in charge of infection control at various levels.

- Develop and implement E-learning training programs on infection control knowledge and practical skills for health workers in different categories.

- Organize regular training for health workers in clinical and para-clinical departments on infection control regulations and procedures, multi-resistant bacteria prevention, and infectious diseases causing epidemics.

- Expand and develop training centers and model health care facilities on infection control.

(3) Strengthening communication, raising awareness of health personnel and the community on infection control

- Organize national and local infection control campaigns focusing on hand hygiene, rational antibiotic use, and hospital infection prevention.

- Utilize diverse communication channels to disseminate and raise awareness about infection control.

- Disseminate infection control regulations and procedures on specialized and basic health care facility websites for all health care workers to access and learn.

- Integrate infection control knowledge dissemination in patient council meetings. Encourage patients and their relatives to participate in monitoring infection control practices at specialized and basic health care facilities.

- Develop and disseminate posters on prevention and control of hospital infections.

(4) Increasing investment and gradually standardizing infection control infrastructure and equipment

- Guide the application of national technical standards on infection control for infrastructure and equipment for infection control activities.

- Review and upgrade clean water supply systems, centralized solid waste collection points, and medical wastewater treatment systems at specialized and basic health care facilities to meet standards.

- Review and build isolation rooms meeting standards in clinical departments and screening and isolation areas for patients infected or suspected of infectious disease at specialized and basic health care facilities.

- Review, renovate, and invest in equipment for sterilization centers at specialized and basic health care facilities.

- Provide additional resources for specialized and basic health care facilities focusing on high-risk groups.

(5) Developing, operating, and promoting effective infection control surveillance systems

- Develop and upgrade the national infection control surveillance and data management system.

- Establish and implement compliance monitoring practices in infection control at specialized and basic health care facilities, report infection control data.

- Establish and implement proactive, continuous monitoring of the four common hospital infections (surgical site infections, bloodstream infections, urinary tract infections, pulmonary infections) at specialized and basic health care facilities, report data on hospital infections.

- Establish and implement monitoring and prevention of hospital infections caused by multi-resistant microorganisms at specialized and basic health care facilities, report data as per regulations.

- Establish and implement monitoring and prevention of epidemic-causing infectious diseases at specialized and basic health care facilities, report data as per regulations.

- Establish and implement monitoring of prophylactic antibiotic use in surgical patients at specialized and basic health care facilities, report data as per regulations.

- Develop and implement projects to improve quality standards for prevention, hand hygiene, environmental surface cleaning, centralized sterilization of instruments, waste management, and expand models at specialized and basic health care facilities.

- Develop and implement projects to improve the quality of infection prevention for surgical site infections, pulmonary infections, bloodstream infections, urinary tract infections, and hospital infections due to multi-resistant bacteria and expand models at specialized and basic health care facilities.

- Conduct annual quality evaluations of infection control at health care facilities.

- Analyze, report annual monitoring data, and promptly propose improvement measures.

- Publicly announce national infection control reports to ensure transparency and accountability.

- Arrange international and national infection control experts for technical support at health care facilities to implement monitoring and improve infection control quality.

(6) Promote scientific research, technology application, and international cooperation in infection control

- Develop mechanisms to support and encourage scientific research on infection control.

- Develop and implement measures to attract funding for scientific research in infection control.

- Implement scientific research projects on infection control and hospital infections at health care facilities, including scientific research on costs for infection control as a basis for calculating health care service prices.

- Mobilize support and cooperation of WHO and international organizations to carry out infection control research projects, especially appropriate measures for Vietnam’s conditions.

- Organize annual conferences and specialized scientific infection control seminars at regional, national, and facility levels.

- Collaborate with universities, research institutes, and professional associations to develop new infection control solutions.

- Apply artificial intelligence (AI) and smart sensors in infection control surveillance and predict hospital infection trends at specialized and basic health care facilities.

- Apply automated sterilization systems and modern technologies in operating rooms and isolation areas at specialized and basic health care facilities.

- Enhance fundraising from international organizations, NGOs, and relevant project programs for scientific research activities on infection control, evaluating the effectiveness of measures to prevent hospital infections, resistant bacteria, and infectious diseases likely to cause epidemics.

More details can be found in the Decision 38/QD-BYT issued on January 3, 2025.

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