The Indian Academy of Paediatrics (IAP), in association with Becton, Dickinson & Co. (BD India), a leading medical technology company, has launched Safe Injection Environment (SIE) programme in Hyderabad.

Targeted at paediatricians and healthcare professionals, the main aim of the SIE programme is to train safe injection practices among healthcare professionals and help protect patients from infections caused by unsafe practices.

While releasing a guide book of safe injection practices, Dr Himabindu Singh, IAP president, Hyderabad, said, “IAP’s objective is to protect children from greater risks and health threats caused due to unsafe injections. One of the safest options to guarantee the safety of an injection is to use auto-disable syringes that block the plunger after a single use. They are the safest devices for injections because they can be used only once.”

Apart from Dr Himabindu Singh, Dr Sailesh Gupta, secretary general, IAP, along with dozens of paediatricians took part at the launch of the SIE programme. The organisers have designed SIE campaign to conduct training workshops across 12 cities in India.

In addition to creating awareness about safe injection practices among healthcare professionals, the SIE programme also aims at working with government bodies and NGOs to ensure adoption of training curriculum of health workers. “The safe injection environment programme is aligned with BD’s purpose of helping all people live healthy lives,” said Dr Bhaskar Sonowal, technical advisor – Infection Control and Patient Safety, BD in India.

Dr Sailesh Gupta, the National IAP Coordinator of Safe Injection Programme, said, “Injections are one of the most common healthcare interventions globally, yet they do not receive as much attention in the medical world as they should. Healthcare practitioners are vulnerable to needle-stick injuries. This workshop focuses on sensitizing them about the latest standards and best practices in safe injection techniques."

Over 16 billion injections are administered annually in the world. The journey of children with injections starts in their first few months through preventive immunization. Healthcare professionals often reuse syringes or needles assuming that they are safe. They also recap the needles after use and throw the plastic and sharps waste in a single container. Such wrong practices need to be corrected through regular sensitization and training about the best practices for safe injections.