ISHA'S ROLE TOWARDS BLOOD DISTRIBUTION, CLINICAL WASTE,
INFECTION CONTROL, AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENRICHMENT

As part of our commitment to professionalize health systems and promote quality of care, we have contributed in the area of Blood Supply Distribution, Hospital Clinical Waste, Infection Control, and Environmental Enrichment. For this:

a) We have organized over 200 one-week to two week training programmes on updates on Hospital Administration; Clinical Updates for Nursing Personnel; Patient Satisfaction Quality Assurance and Legal Aspects of Health Care; and lately about 20 programmes on HIV-AIDS, and about 100 three-day workshops on Stress Related Disorders and Cardiac Heart Diseases all over India in which issues related to hospital clinical waste, infection control, safe blood management, and effects of pollution on health are discussed.

b) In collaboration with Dept. of Science and Technology, Government of India, we have carried out studies on Blood Supply and Requirements by 2005 for the cities of Bangalore and Hubli-Dharwar, Karnataka State.

c) We have made a Comprehensive assessment of all the blood banks in Karnataka and Kerala State.

d) With the financial support of Environmental Fund for NGOs, we covered all hospitals and nursing homes in Bangalore and Hubli-Dharwar for waste generation, and clinical waste management.

e) With the financial support of Environmental Fund for NGOs, we have covered all X-Ray installation units and studied the effect of radiation hazards on Child and Reproductive Health.

f) With the financial assistance of Karnataka State conducted a Study on Clinical Waste Management in all government and private Hospitals in Karnataka State and have proposed alternative strategies for clinical waste management and solid waste management.

g) With the financial assistance of Kerala State, have conducted a study and prepared Comprehensive report on Strengthening Secondary level hospitals, including waste management in Kerala State.

h) ISHA has performed the leadership role to organize todate six national level workshops on Hospital Clinical Waste Management and Infection Control. Large number of professionals and administrators have attended.

i) Our Comprehensive book on Hospital Clinical Waste Management and Infection Control was published in 2004.

j) We have visited most of the private and corporate hospitals, besides the government, throughout India, and also many foreign countries to study the systems of waste management and infection control.

k) Organized during 1989 the first National Meeting on Health of the Metropolis: Bangalore in which experts in environment and urban cities from all over India representing major ministries and institutions participated. Based on the Meeting, the book: Health of the Metropolis: Bangalore - A Guide to Health Planning and Development of Urban Cities in India was printed, and is available.

l) ISHA organized the second national meeting on Environment and Health, February 2002 in which critical issues of pollution, waste, solid waste, noise, water, nutrition, and right to health were discussed. This meeting led develop action plans for environment enrichment in India.

m) ISHA has organized todate 12 national seminars on Hospital Clinical Waste, Hazards Management, and Infection Control. Every year four seminars are scheduled. Representatives of the Ministry, Bureau of Indian Standards, government, private, and industrial hospitals, and NGOs have participated.