In a proactive move to reinforce hospital hygiene and infection prevention, G.B. Pant Hospital in Sri Vijaya Puram has conducted a comprehensive training programme for its sanitation workforce. The session, centered on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and infection control practices, aimed to build frontline capacity to reduce hospital-acquired infections and promote patient safety.
Organised jointly by the hospital’s AMR Cell and Kayakalp Team, the session brought together key medical administrators and sanitation workers for a knowledge-sharing exercise grounded in national health protocols. The initiative comes amid growing global concerns about antimicrobial resistance, a phenomenon where common infections become harder to treat due to overuse and misuse of antibiotics.
The training was formally inaugurated by Dr. M.K. Saha, Medical Superintendent, and Dr. Arpita Saha, Additional Medical Superintendent. Both highlighted the pivotal role of sanitation staff in maintaining hospital cleanliness and curbing the spread of infections in high-risk zones such as wards, ICUs, and operating theatres.
Central to the session were presentations and practical demonstrations led by Dr. Shahina Mustaqim, Nodal Officer for AMR, and Dr. Rohit Das, Nodal Officer for the Kayakalp programme. Their focus was to demystify infection transmission pathways, introduce best practices in waste handling, and reinforce routine protocols like hand hygiene, surface disinfection, and use of personal protective equipment (PPE).
The session also shed light on how poor hygiene practices can exacerbate the spread of resistant microorganisms, leading to prolonged hospital stays, increased medical costs, and higher patient mortality. Workers were given detailed guidance on safe disposal of biomedical waste, disinfection cycles, and strategies to avoid cross-contamination during their daily routines.
One of the training’s key components was awareness about AMR surveillance. Participants were introduced to the basics of monitoring infection trends and understanding early signs of potential outbreaks. The intent was to empower ground-level staff to act as first responders in reporting hygiene breaches or infection clusters.
Interactive elements were built into the programme, including question-and-answer segments and scenario-based demonstrations. This participatory approach helped ensure that the training was not merely theoretical but directly applicable to real-world situations faced by sanitation teams on a daily basis.
The event concluded with a group interaction and a collective pledge by all participants to uphold infection prevention as a shared institutional responsibility. This symbolic gesture was aimed at fostering a culture of accountability and continuous vigilance among hospital support staff, who often work behind the scenes but play a frontline role in public health safety.
G.B. Pant Hospital’s emphasis on AMR and infection control aligns with the national Kayakalp initiative, which aims to promote cleanliness, hygiene, and infection control practices in public health facilities. The Kayakalp programme evaluates hospitals on a range of indicators and encourages competition and improvement through regular audits and capacity building.
The choice to prioritise sanitation workers for this round of training reflects a growing recognition that infection control begins not in laboratories or clinics, but on hospital floors where patient contact and environmental exposure are most frequent. By equipping staff with updated knowledge and reinforcing protocol adherence, the hospital is taking tangible steps to reduce nosocomial infections.
As antimicrobial resistance continues to pose one of the most serious health challenges globally, such initiatives at the local level demonstrate how awareness and action can be scaled down to operational units without diluting effectiveness. The training serves not just as a one-time exercise, but as a foundation for a stronger, more responsive hospital infection control ecosystem.
With this session now concluded, G.B. Pant Hospital is expected to replicate and expand similar trainings to include nursing staff, ward attendants, and technical personnel in the coming months.
