The Ministry of Health, represented by the Department of Infection Prevention and Control at the Directorate General of Disease Surveillance and Control, in cooperation with the Development Corporation of Oman LNG, launched today (Sunday) a training course for specialists in infection prevention and control, which the department is implementing with the Infection Control of African Network (ICAN).

The two-week training course, which inaugurated by Dr. Amal Bint Saif Al-Maani, Director General of Disease Surveillance and Control, includes theoretical and practical training in advanced skills in the infection prevention and control field.

Acquiring infections within health institutions was and still is a growing problem with the advancement of health services, the variation of their specializations and the tools used for patient care, especially the silent epidemic of the spread of antibiotic-resistant microbes. This type of infection fails medical interventions such as complex surgeries and causes many complications for the patients that may lead to death. It may also spread in health institutions to cause infections to those around the patient and healthcare provider.

The Infection prevention and control of healthcare associated infections especially deadly microbes that are resistant to antibiotics, requires activating infection prevention and control programs in all healthcare institutions and providing them with qualified leadership to deal with developments in this field and develop policies that ensure safety for patients and healthcare workers in the health sector.

Within the role of the General Directorate of Disease Surveillance and Control in the healthcare system of the Omani society, it has placed the training of Omani specialists in the field of infection prevention and control as one of the most important priorities within the framework of a comprehensive strategy for preparedness for public health emergencies. In the past years, it has cooperated with international houses of expertise such as the Joint International Network (JCI) Today, in cooperation with the Infection Control of African Network (ICAN), this course is going to train healthcare workers specializing in infection prevention and control, on advanced skills and international standards to establish, implement, and follow up correct infection prevention and control programs at the level of health institutions and health services in the governorates and the national program.

The cooperation of the Ministry of Health with various international schools in infection prevention and control, the presence of Omani leader who hold various certificates and experiences from several international schools in the field of infection prevention and control will create national outputs with accredited international experiences and qualifications that will form national leaders and trainers for the future in this vital field that will increase the quality of programs and the continuity of transmission Experience and training inside and outside the Sultanate.

The participants will obtain in this course, both theoretical and practical certificate. This course will be a preparation for the participating doctors and nurses to obtain the International Certificate in Infection Prevention and Epidemiology (CBIC). It is worth noting that this training course was held in cooperation with the Development Corporation of Oman LNG, where the Directorate was able to include 25 practitioners in prevention infection and control from various primary and specialized health care institutions.

This is the second version of the joint cooperation with the Infection Control of African Network (ICAN) as part of the plan to train more specialists in the coming stages as directed by the Ministry of Health represented by the Directorate General of Disease Control and Surveillance to enhance human capacities to carry out their roles within the vital security system of the Omani society. The training of Omani specialists comes in the field of infection prevention and control is one of its top priorities within the framework of a comprehensive public health preparedness and emergency preparedness strategy.