The Healthcare Accreditation Institute of Thailand (Public Organization), GIZ Thailand and B. Braun (Thailand) Ltd. recently organized “Capacity Building for Senior Hospital Management for Healthcare Personnel Safety”, a training session that incorporated the presentation of the operation plan for occupational safety through hand hygiene, safety in chemotherapy and safe infusion methods. The event was held at Rama Gardens Hotel, Bangkok.

Thailand is working hard to improve the quality of the national health system and make healthcare accessible to everyone and is also aware of the importance of safety for both patients and healthcare workers. A committee was established to steer the national strategy dealing with safety for patients and healthcare workers (2P Safety) 2561-2564, which serves as a guideline for practice in the hospitals.

“The World Health Organization (WHO) has firmly addressed the importance of patient safety, but the Thai government believes the safety of healthcare workers is also important. Public Health Minister Mr. Anutin Charnvirakul has stressed that hospitals must ensure the safety of healthcare workers and develop proper measures for occupational safety in hospitals. GIZ and B. Braun are implementing a project focusing on the improvement of occupational safety for healthcare workers in public hospitals in Thailand, and invited the Healthcare Accreditation Institute of Thailand (HAI) to conduct capacity building training for senior hospital management in occupational safety standards for healthcare workers. We are aware that safety on the job of these workers cannot be ensured if senior management of the hospital doesn’t recognize its importance and fails to support the enabling of safety measures in the hospital,” says Dr. Kittinan Anakamanee MD., CEO of the Healthcare Accreditation Institute of Thailand (Public Organization) – HAI

Mr. German Mueller, GIZ Thailand’s Programme Director echoes those sentiments, saying: “GIZ works on behalf of The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) to solve development issues. One of the components we work to tackle is the issue of health and we realize that healthcare system development is important in Thailand and in the Southeast Asian region because it is a fundamental need and one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that the government of Thailand is obviously trying to achieve. While we have seen improvements in the healthcare system, we are still seeing accidents among healthcare workers while providing services, which make them vulnerable to injuries, infection and even death. Therefore, under the Public-Private Partnerships programme, GIZ and B. Braun, a leading provider of healthcare products and solutions, are collaborating on the Improving Occupational Safety and Health of Healthcare Workers in Public Hospitals in Thailand Project. HAI is an important partner in our work to strengthen the capacity and support of senior management in ensuring safety at the project’s pilot hospitals. This is the second phase of training and it provides the senior management and healthcare workers from 18 pilot hospitals a platform from which to present the progress of the 2P Safety activities that they implement in their hospital. GIZ is committed to further developing public health in the Greater Mekong Subregion, building on the achievements and lessons learned from this project.”

“Occupational safety for healthcare workers is one of the most important components and indicators of the quality of national health care standards and has been identified as the main goal by WHO and the government of Thailand to ensure sustainability in the healthcare system development of the country. However, there are still gaps in theoretical and practical knowledge on the proper implementation of occupational safety at the operational basis among healthcare workers in Thailand, which results in the risk of developing work-related diseases, stress, and injuries. BMZ is committed to helping raise international health standards in emerging markets. B. Braun, which now in its 30th year in Thailand and committed to being a local partner in health systems, is well-positioned to act as a link between the medical diplomacy of Germany and Thailand. The project will enable hospitals to save costs and improve their efficiency on safe healthcare services and with such digital initiatives as e-monitoring for needle stick injuries and hand hygiene, the healthcare workers’ safety can be quickly reported and evaluated,” says Mr. Sayan Roy, Managing Director of B. Braun (Thailand) Ltd.

The training will result in the establishment of a framework, guidelines and policy on healthcare personnel safety in the pilot hospitals. Furthermore, incorporating the 2P Safety policy and complying with WHO’s Southeast Asian strategies will also enable the drawing up of national guidelines for safety in patient care and for healthcare workers.

This senior hospital management training is one of the core activities of the Improving Occupational Safety and Health of Healthcare Workers in Public Hospitals in Thailand Project, which is implemented by 4 partner organizations, namely; Health Accreditation Institute of Thailand – HAI; Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University; the Infusion Nurse Network of Thailand and the Thai Oncology Nurse Society. The project is funded by BMZ and B. Braun Melsungen AG.