Dear Colleagues and friends

As you are aware we are celebrating 26 years of our journey in Infection Prevention and Control in this country. The aims of HISI have been quite well illustrated and aligned with the current thoughts prevalent in the world, on meeting the challenge of HCAI, across the globe. The society’s (HISI) mission is to provide the necessary tools, information and technical resource to its members to develop infection control programmes in their institutions based on evidence based medicine. We have twin objectives as an organization viz decreasing the preventable infections to minimum and decrease the pace of emergence of antimicrobial resistance.

We aim at any healthcare facility whether community based standalone clinics, polyclinics, small nursing homes, primary healthcare centres, secondary and tertiary-quaternary  healthcare organizations, dialysis units, ambulatory care facilities like endoscopy suites, ophthalmology units, dental care units, whether in rural, or urban, tier one or two or tier three cities and towns, teaching or non-teaching facilities etc. For achieving this , we hold CME programmes, organize Symposia and other training and awareness programmes and seminars, develop guidelines, bring out publications, provide hands on training, and hold conference in the field of infection prevention and control and infectious disease management and antimicrobials. We also address the individual facility challenges through collaborative means helping find viable solutions. Our National Conference (HISICON) is held once a year in different parts of the country.

There have been and always are opportunities for all healthcare professionals including doctors, nurses, housekeeping, technical staff, pharmacologists, CSSD personnel, support staff from Engineering and allied services like HRD, Finance, Public relations, industry partners and the community itself to come together and deliberate upon the major challenges facing healthcare of a society especially on infection prevention and control. This becomes paramount with rapid globalization and emerging and reemerging infective diseases. This is the sole organization where all healthcare professionals, including doctors from all specialties and super-specialties including microbiologists, surgeons, anaesthesiologists, pediatricians, critical care and medical administrators, come together to deliberate and find solutions to such challenges. 

Our central core remains to find solutions so that we help the Nature in containing its burden that we all human beings have contributed to and are contributing to, by way of containing preventable infections and misuse and abuse of antimicrobial agents in medical practice as also on minimizing the burden of plastics and wastes, using more and more reusable items. Industry has to come out of greed and mass profiteering into a realistic world where we can maximize the provision of same healthcare to each one of the human beings. Hence the need to contain single use devices and produce as much reusable as possible or manufacture cheaper effective versions made up of compostable plastics or other material which is not a huge bioburden for us. Pertinent would be to move to non-invasive methodology of diagnosing various disorders so that infection prevention is also simultaneously addressed.

We have been regularly foraying into integrating HISI with the current needs throughout the country. Formation of chapters has precisely been on this line and followed by regular CMEs/HISICONs as far as possible. Formation of Guwahati Chapter and followed by HISICON -2017, marked on connecting colleagues in  North Eastern parts of India and encouraging deliberations and interactions with the galaxy of experts and renowned academicians and delegates from the region as well as all over India.  There is a further interest in the beautiful city of Jorhat, to connect and integrate with HISI. Hyderabad HISCON 2018 was another endeavor to cater to needs of Mid and South India which got a boost with Vellore Chapter, a few years back.

As before we continue in our journey of finding solutions from within the country, by sharing experiences amongst us, HISICON, interactive sessions and workshops, consensus building  deliberations or ‘Vichaar Goshthis’ are focused on ground realities and practical aspects to bring together identifications of challenges, prevalent practices in different healthcare facilities, expert opinions and consensus formation.  Recently one such consensus was built up on preventing blood stream infections due to Indwelling medical devices.  It is envisaged that this collective wisdom and churning of minds, would strengthen the path ahead for us in infection prevention and control - a path that is practical, implementable and catering to all diverse health care facilities across the country.

On recent activities of HISI

HISI has been steadily making strides in fulfilling our aims and objectives, by its involvement with the Government of India and state governments and various quasi government institutions.   To saliently name, our contributions have been lauded and acknowledged in developing National Healthcare Safety Framework 2018-2025, by MOHFW, GOI. We are actively involved in the deliberations in the AMR policy and its implementation strategies in India. We are also contributing into bringing relevant changes to overcome practical challenges of implementing Biomedical Waste Rules and Regulations 2016 amended 2018 and remain very active in various HCAI prevention and control policies and programs of the Central government on being represented in Patient Safety and in fields of containment of Viral Hepatitis as also laying down standards in the country. We now have about 1100 life members. Lucknow is the latest to enter the HISI City Chapter family and so are Bhopal, Nagpur, Indore, Jammu and Ludhiana gearing up.

Last year in 2017, we announced the major educational milestone achieved on AMS, by the successful development of HISIEPAMS (HISI Educational program on AMS), with the involvement of various medical experts of different specialties in different fields. As you are aware, this is the first AMS educational program of its kind developed and implemented by an academic Society in India, which has been indigenously prepared, flexible and progressive. AMS workshops utilizing these modules, are being conducted now in partnership with both public sector and private sector institutions. We encourage participation enquiry from “willing to change” healthcare institutions and facilities and request support from all of you in this giant step forwards to meet the AMR challenge as “we want” for our country. The implementation especially with pre and post activity evaluation has been meeting great success in the institutions along with timely follow ups.

We took time in the process of revamping our website making it more interactive and real-time with incorporation of online features of membership and working towards online electoral processes. It is a dynamic and upgradable platform. The activation of various online Forums would be of significant interest in furthering the cause of HISI and providing viable practical solutions in Infection Prevention and Control. We request all colleagues to use the forums in expressing academically and finding solutions logically and with high quality evidence.

Research based activities are also being encouraged and we would be shortly announcing the research projects on pan-India basis which would be relevant to our society and serve the needs of the community health.

Our Journal JPSIC has already changed publishing hands with Wolters Kluwer India, progressively started making dents in the Indian scenario of Health Care Associated Infections. It is now in its 5th year of publication and continues to grow. We request members to contribute by way of articles and original research papers, towards making it the most coveted of journals on the prevention and control of HCAI and patient safety.

The Practical manual by HISI on Sterilization and Disinfection- after relevant changes is being introduced in January on the website of HISI for comments and inputs from members. Our special thanks are due to all authors and reviewers and editors who have worked so hard, day and night for making this a success. It is a very modest beginning but long awaited and there would be review and evolution, as we progress in time. The Second Edition of National Standards on Disinfection and Sterilization is envisaged to be available in the first quarter of 2019.

It becomes a duty to thank all of you who so lovingly and willingly are making this organization, what it is today. A success by your contributions in one way or the other, including the principal and associated industry organizations in various platforms is duly acknowledged and we intend working on indigenizing and finding solutions to overcome challenges in the field.

On behalf of all the members of HISI and the National Executive Council of Hospital Infection Society-India, we look forwards to invite each one of you, our colleagues in infection prevention and control, to join and collaborate in this mission and endeavor for a safe world not only for patients but also for healthcare professionals and the community and Nature at large!

With love

Dr. Raman Sardana

Hony. Secretary, HISI