The Smart Way of Healing

Hospitals face challenges in preventing one patient’s infection from spreading to other patients. Nayan Chanda, founding editor of YaleGlobal Online, writes about the troubling phenomenon of patients being successfully treated before succumbing to hospital-acquired infections. “This problem is not a uniquely Indian one,” he writes. “Modern hospitals in the developed West are also struggling to cope with so-called nosocomial infections – the term used to describe infections that are not present in patients before admission but which occur within 48 hours of entering the hospital.” He adds, “Secondary infections in hospitals have become an even bigger threat when caused by drug-resistant bacteria.” Researchers blame over-use and improper use of antibiotics to the growth in drug-resistant bacteria. The United States reports that hospital-acquired infections kill as many as 20,000 people per year. Indian hospitals are not mandated to report such data. Improved hygiene practices, such as hand-washing, reduce infections, and Chanda points out that such problems decrease public confidence and could damage the nation’s prospects for medical tourism. – YaleGlobal