The Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP) and the Becton Dickinson India Pvt (BD India) Ltd have signed a MoU to conduct safe injection practices training programmes to promote better injection practices in the country.

The MoU has signed to strengthen the existing relationship of both the parties, in conducting educational programmes targeted at paediatricians, healthcare professionals including medical practitioners and paramedics and vaccinators from government and private sectors.

The agreement outlines various activities that IAP and BD India will jointly undertake for promoting safe injection practices including workshops on Safe Injection Practices, an IAP Safe Injection Policy statement to be disseminated among all its members as well as the pharma and vaccine industry, according to the IAP officials. IAP in partnership with BD will launch the second edition of the IAP and BD India co-branded, 'Handbook of Safe Injection Practices', to be distributed in medical colleges and at workshops, they added.

With the programme, IAP and BD India envisages to reach out to vaccinators from government and private sectors, 2100 Healthcare Professionals, 3000-5000 healthcare facilities and more than 15000 Healthcare Professionals through posters, CDs and other relevant materials, working in the facilities along with medical colleges and students.

Ram Sharma, managing director, BD India, said, "Unsafe injection practices are very common in India and an area that need critical intervention. Studies conducted in India along with anecdotal evidence point towards a large number of unnecessary and inappropriate as well as unsafe injection practices. With the signing of this MOU, we reaffirm our ongoing commitment to creating awareness about this critical issue and working towards minimising the spread of infectious diseases through unsafe injection practices."

"The signing of this MoU is a landmark move in the bid to eliminate unsafe injection practices in India. Through our partnership with BD, we aim to train and educate healthcare professionals, medical school students and industry bodies like IMA, Hospital Infection Control Society and the Health Organizations of the Central Government about safe injection practices," added Dr Nitin Shah, president and Dr Deepak Ugra, secretary general, IAP. The activities laid down in the MoU commenced from December 2006 onwards, they informed.