Infection Control Department

Infection Prevention and a Safe Environment in the Healthcare Facility

The Infection Control Department is a structural division of the National Cancer Institute responsible for preventing healthcare-associated infections. It helps maintain a safe environment in the hospital for patients, their loved ones, and visitors, as well as for medical staff. Its staff advise management on measures such as closing departments in the event of infection outbreaks and evaluating the cost-effectiveness of disinfectants.

The department's activity in Ukraine is governed by Order of the Ministry of Health No. 1614 of 03.08.2021.

Main tasks and functions

The department's main goal is to reduce the spread of healthcare-associated infections through the following areas of work:

• Routine epidemiological surveillance: monitoring and recording infections in the facility, comparing results with previous indicators and global benchmarks for oncology hospitals.
• Hand hygiene: implementing hand hygiene standards among staff, training, and monitoring.
• Antimicrobial stewardship: overseeing the rational use of antimicrobial drugs to curb resistance, training, and monitoring antimicrobial consumption.
• Staff training: regular training on infection control compliance.
• Developing programs, plans, and SOPs: creating individual infection control documents for the facility based on Ministry of Health orders, WHO, CDC, and other recommendations.