Even though the Union government is yet to formulate the World Health Organisation (WHO) guided Safe Injection Policy, Karnataka has gone ahead on its own to ensure a near total safe injection compliance. The UK-based SafePoint Trust is now in India with an aggressive strategy to ban the reuse of injections in over 14 cities in the country through a public awareness campaign.
As part of its promotional drive, SafePoint Trust is also giving much emphasis to the introduction of new guidelines by the government of India regarding Safe Injection policy on the basis of basic human rights. Therefore a safe Injection policy by the Government of India needs to be implemented at the earliest to ensure everyone receives a safe injection, stated Paul Mallins from SafePoint Trust.
According to WHO, more than 50 per cent of all injections in the developing world are unsafe because these are either reused or unsterile instruments. As per WHO estimates, there are 2300 HIV Infections, 1,000,000 Hepatitis C Infections, 21,000,000 Hepatitis B Infections and 1,300,000 deaths each year due to unsafe injections. Hence we must make every attempt to lobby with authorities to change legislation to prevent syringe reuse and enforce safe injection guidelines, he added.
The key objective of the awareness campaign is to educate the public and the medical practitioners to stop reuse of injections. The awareness campaign also calls for patients to ensure doctors use disposable injections and adhere to safe disposable norms. The multi-pronged media blitz will have a gamut of communication tools to highlight public awareness films on television and cinema halls, radio spots and leaflets. Safe Point is has allocated Euros 700,000 for the same.
According to a study conducted by the IndiaCLEN Program Evaluation Network for Government of India, and World Bank, known as the 'Assessment of Injection Practices in India' in 2002 - 2005, dispensing plastic syringes and disposable needles was observed at 61.3 per cent at the health facilities and was found to be the least at immunisation clinics which reported 50.9 per cent.
Satisfactory terminal disposal of injection related wastes was observed in less than half the health facilities (44.8%) and was found to be the least at private health facilities (41.5%). In rural areas Health facility levels of plastic syringe disposal were better in urban areas (69.6%) of the country as compared to their rural counterparts (57.9%) in all sectors. Similarly, satisfactory terminal disposal was more in urban health facilities (51.2%) as compared to that of health facilities in rural areas (42.2%). The need of the hour is to maximise all efforts to eradicate this evil from society thereby calling everybody to demand a safe injection, be it for curative or therapeutic purposes, added Mallins.