KUWAIT: The Ministry of Health kicked off Tuesday the second edition of the infection control conference. Aimed at discussing new developments in the field, the conference will be held for three days with participation from Kuwaiti, Arab and international medical professionals. Medical professionals from Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United States, England and the Netherlands will be lecturing at the conference.

Ahmed Al-Motawa

Head of the Infection Control Directorate Ahmed Al-Motawa said in a statement to KUNA that the conference will discuss topics related to protecting the safety of both patients and health-care workers, including how to combat novel infectious diseases, anti-biotic resistant bacteria and hospital-acquired infections. It will also examine best practices in sanitization and investigating outbreaks.

"We hope the conference will be a turning point in the ministry's journey in raising awareness and equipping workers with the skills needed to fight hospital-acquired infections," he told KUNA.

A 2016 study published in the American Journal of Infection Control found that device-associated hospital-acquired infections in Kuwait "are a challenge for patient safety". The study was based on data collected by the International Infection Control Consortium between 2013 and 2015.