Hidden Danger: Hospitals Making Patients Sicker with Preventable Infections

• Hospital-Acquired Infections (HAIs) affect up to 15% of patients in low- and middle-income countries, often due to care itself, not disease.
• HAIs, including bloodstream infections and pneumonia, are increasingly driven by antibiotic-resistant organisms like MRSA, making them harder to treat.
• Dr. Kushal Bangar highlights that HAIs are linked to routine processes, medical devices, surgical interventions, or hygiene lapses, leading to sepsis and prolonged hospitalization.
• Hospital textile management (bedsheets, gowns) is an underestimated factor; soiled linen can become silent carriers of pathogens without strict processing.
• Anshul Gupta emphasizes that environmental hygiene and linen management are as crucial as clinical care in preventing HAIs, requiring consistent execution of protocols.