The Nigerian government has said the health system is grappling with a substantial financial burden caused by the prevalence of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs).
The National Infection Prevention and Control Programme Coordinator of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), Tochi Okwor, disclosed this on Monday at the inauguration of the IPC National Technical Working Group (IPC TWG) in Abuja.
Ms Okwo, who referred to a report by WaterAid Nigeria, noted that the high prevalence of healthcare-associated infections has been estimated to cost $4.5 billion by 2023, about N7.2 trillion based on the exchange rate of N1,620 to the dollar on Tuesday.
HAIs are infections that patients acquire while receiving treatment for medical or surgical conditions within a healthcare setting.
These infections can occur during procedures, through the use of medical devices, or due to the transmission of pathogens in healthcare settings.
According to Ms. Okwor, people seeking medical care are highly prone to contracting healthcare-associated infections in hospitals and primary health centres due to low levels of prevention and control in hospitals.
Some common types of HAIs include surgical site infections, catheter-associated urinary tract infections, bloodstream infections, and ventilator-associated pneumonia.
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Ms. Okwor said the prevalence of healthcare-associated infections accounted for 3.8 percent of the total healthcare expenditure of the health sector in 2023.
He also said estimates show the economic cost of such infections is around 0.94 percent of the country's GDP.
She said: “We know that healthcare-associated infections are those preventable harms that result from healthcare when infection prevention and control are not optimal in hospitals. But we also have a high burden of community-acquired infections.
“The total economic cost of healthcare-associated infections in Nigeria has been estimated to be as high as $4.5 billion by 2023. And the cost of these healthcare-associated infections as a percentage of our GDP.
“The cost of treating these infections as a proportion of our total healthcare spending in 2023 is estimated to be 3.8 percent.”
Importance of prevention and control
Confirming this, the Director of Public Health at the Ministry of Health, Chukuma Anyadike, described infection prevention and control as the cornerstone of public health and the “rock on which a resilient health system is built.”
Mr Anyadike said no patient should get infected while receiving healthcare and that healthcare workers were also at risk of getting infected while providing care, adding that infection prevention and control should be prioritised.
He also noted that PCI offers a proven solution to mitigate harm and avoid suffering and incalculable costs to people and the health system.
He said: “There is compelling evidence that up to 70 percent of healthcare-associated infections can be prevented by implementing effective IPC interventions. Investing in IPC is one of the most cost-effective measures available.”
Mr. Anyadike said PCI serves as the first line of defense against the spread of infectious diseases by protecting patients, health workers and the community.
“For example, improving hand hygiene in healthcare settings can reduce the risk of dying from infections with resistant pathogens by more than half and reduce long-term complications and healthcare burdens by at least 40%. Every dollar invested in improving hand hygiene can save about $16.50 in healthcare costs.”
Government efforts
As part of the effort to reduce the prevalence of HAIs, the director of public health said, the sector authorities have developed a national IPC and disease manual with specific guidelines for health workers. He said these manuals have been adopted by states and disseminated to selected secondary health facilities and primary health care centres. In collaboration with the University of Lagos School of Medicine and the African Infection Control Network, the government has also trained over 100 IPC focal persons to become IPC professionals working in health facilities across the country.
Mr Anyadike said: “Over the past decade, major disease outbreaks such as Ebola, Lassa fever, cerebrospinal meningitis, diphtheria, cholera and the COVID-19 pandemic have demonstrated how rapidly infections can spread through communities and be amplified in healthcare settings.
“These events have highlighted the shortcomings of our infection prevention and control program and have highlighted the need for comprehensive infection and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) prevention strategies.”
The Technical Working Group was created to ensure proper implementation of the IPC, according to Coordinating Minister for Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate.
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Mr. Pate, represented by NCDC Director General Jide Idris, said the inauguration of the unit is an integral part of the national plan for the health sector under the current administration.
She said the establishment of the TWG also aligns with the Global Action Plan on Infection Prevention and Control 2024-2030, which was recently endorsed by the World Health Assembly. “Having a national IPC Technical Working Group is an important indicator at the national level to monitor national implementation of the Global Action Plan on IPC.”
He added that Nigeria has shown leadership in infection prevention and control and is setting a precedent for other countries to follow with this new development.