Importance of cleanliness in hospitals

 Hospital word comes from the Latin word ‘Hospes’ (host), which means Hotel and Hospitality.  During the middle ages, the hospitals were also used for other hospitality functions, such as a hostel for pilgrims or accommodation for the poor people, etc, but in the modern age entering in hospital for a treatment or for an operation seems like entering into a danger zone.

We all believe that the hospital is a place where one gets a health care treatment by specialized staff and equipments, not to suffer needlessly due to medical errors. Thus, Hospitals are supposed to be the place free from germs and infections, but this highly lacks in hospitals of today's age. There are several hospitals which are worst in this case, as they often give only casual attention to sanitation, cleanliness and hygiene and the situation is equally worst in many hospitals, carrying ‘who cares’ attitude.

Cleanliness - a responsibility of all

The Doctors, nurses and the Hospital Administration, all are equally responsible for the Medical malpractice and the negligence taken in the patient’s health care or in cleaning the hospitals, which indirectly affects the health of the patient. Although, a full-time cleaning staff is available in all the Government and Public hospitals, but still its importance is ignored up to a great extent. Sometimes cleaning is done with a bucket of water and a mop, adding very little amount of disinfectants, if available, otherwise is usually omitted if it gets expensive or rationed during the annual billing, which results in the spread of infections and bacteria in the hospital premises.

Carelessness increases infection

There are so many infections which are caused to the patients only due to this careless attitude of the concerned authorities towards the cleanliness of the hospital premises. Hospital-acquired infection, also known as HAIs and Health-care-associated infection, or the Cross-contamination between patients is a dangerous risk for the patients, as well as for the hospital.  Even cleaning each room with sanitizers after a patient leaves is not enough. It is also possible that the people with whom the patient interacts, like the doctors, nurses or the visitors may carry infection which is harmful for the patient. 

Measures to keep the hospital clean and healthy

• Lean thinking emphasizes on generating good quality products at cheap cost and it also focuses on the elimination of waste products. Since, unfortunately the hospitals generate a lot of waste matter, which sometimes prohibits the patient to get the best care and get well soon. Lean thinking will help overcome this drawback.

• A serious change is required in the mindset of every individual as the cleaning staff is not alone responsible for cleaning the premises of the hospital but even the visitors, the patients, the doctors and the nurses are responsible for keeping the environment of the hospital clean.

• Since it is concerned with the  safety of the patients, a special fund allocation for cleaning should be made while preparing the annual budget, so as to protect the basic needs, like disinfectants used in mopping, from getting ignored, which is commonly observed in hospitals now a days.

It is clearly evident that cleanliness is a must in a hospital to ensure safe stay of the patients. Considering the need for cleanliness carefully is very important, in order to make hospitals a better place for offering finest health care facilities. If you are looking for the best Orthopaedic surgeon Mohali or even the best Orthopaedic surgeon Chandigarh then look for SGHS Hospital