A recent shipment of CIDEX®
Activated Dialdehyde
Solution and instrument sterilization trays to Bugando Medical Centre in Tanzania has made a crucial difference to both health
workers and patients alike.
Because of high costs, the
hospital often faces shortages of disinfectant – a product necessary for
providing quality care to patients and reducing the risk of infection from
untreated medical devices. The shipment of the CIDEX® solution and the disinfection trays is the first in
a three-year commitment from Advanced Sterilization Products, a Johnson &
Johnson company.
Now the hospital’s endoscopy
unit can perform internal testing on double the number of patients each week: 40
to 55 people are helped compared to just 25 patients per week before the
shipment.
The increased treatment
capacity makes a big difference for patients like Pilly Limanya, a 40-year-old
teacher who suffered from abdominal pain. Pilly was able to undergo diagnostic
testing a full month earlier, and after being diagnosed, she received treatment
for her pain and returned happily to work.
Pilly Limanya, a school teacher, received faster treatment
“This CIDEX
is very important to our unit,” said Dr. Mehta, head of the endoscopy unit
at Bugando Medical Centre. “Thanks to this donation, we can diagnose more
patients than before.”
The CIDEX shipment is part of AmeriCares Health Worker Safety Initiative, a program that aims to protect nearly 2,000 of Bugando’s staff members
and students from infection and other workplace hazards. The initiative plays a
key role in protecting patients as well, by reducing the spread of infection.
Since 2008, the program has provided vaccinations, trainings, safety supplies
and other vital resources to the 900-bed teaching
hospital located in Mwanza, Tanzania, serving more than 14
million people.
