Quality Assurance Program Expands in Djibouti

BEFORE: Prior to training, nurses maintained medical instruments  in a haphazard way.

In many remote health posts throughout Djibouti, newly trained nurses are now using state-of-the art  equipment to meet international standards for infection prevention. Thanks to on-going work by USAID’s Expanded Coverage of Essential Health Services in Djibouti (PECSE) Project and the Ministry of Health, health posts that have been renovated and refurnished have now received the training and equipment to perform routine sterilization of equipment at each health post. In addition, new sterilization equipment has been provided to district hospitals where providers were also trained. These activities prevent spread of disease among patients and to health providers, and empower health providers to improve medical hygiene. The PECSE Project also initiated the idea of constructing incinerators for the rehabilitated health posts in the rural area since there was very poor management of medical waste.

AFTER: Through training, nurses learned to keep instruments sterile to prevent infection.

Long-term planning for quality assurance includes not only provision of equipment and staff training, but a commitment by the Ministry of Health to maintain the equipment. To this end, National Maintenance Department staff has been trained by international experts brought in by USAID to perform routine maintenance and repairs to the new equipment. The equipment includes steam sterilizers run on butane gas and electric autoclaves as well as water distillation equipment.

This part of the ambitious program to lower infant, child and maternal mortality in Djibouti has been enthusiastically accepted by staff at health posts and district hospitals, and is supported by supervisors at the district and national levels of the Ministry of Health.