A multidisciplinary unit works daily to reduce the incidence of healthcare-associated infections and ensure patient safety.
The Minister highlights that the prevalence of multidrug-resistant microorganisms in the hospital is below the European average.
The Minister of Health, Manuela García, visited today the professionals at Manacor Hospital who were awarded the 2025 European Hand Hygiene Excellence Award, promoted by the World Health Organisation (WHO). She met with the Hospital Infection Control Unit and the PROA group (Antimicrobial Stewardship Program) to learn about their daily work aimed at optimising antibiotic use.
The Minister also visited the hospital’s hand hygiene information desk in the main hall, accompanied by the hospital manager, Ignasi Casas, and the management team. The Infection Control Unit demonstrated proper hand hygiene techniques and distributed “hand-washing kits” to attendees.
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The Minister of Health Visits Manacor Hospital for the 2025 European Hand Hygiene Excellence Award
Manuela García emphasised that the award recognises “the transversal care provided by the Infection Control Unit across all departments to ensure the prevention of healthcare-associated infections.” She added that “this ongoing multidisciplinary work, initiated in 2005, has resulted in a prevalence of multidrug-resistant microorganisms at Manacor Hospital that is lower than the average in European hospitals.”
During her visit, García also attended a meeting of the PROA group, composed of representatives from Internal Medicine, Microbiology, Pharmacy, and the Infection Control Unit, where they reviewed a clinical case.
Additionally, members of the Hospital Hygiene Control Group explained the complex audit they underwent, led by Professor Didier Pittet, Director of Training and Infection Control Program at the University Hospitals of Geneva, and Professor Andreas Widmer, Deputy Head of Infectious Diseases and Hospital Epidemiology at the Basel University Hospital. Supported by B. Braun, the audit assessed hand hygiene techniques and knowledge in the ICU and all inpatient wards through interviews with patients and professionals.
The 2025 European Hand Hygiene Excellence Award took into account the cross-departmental coordination by the Infection Control Unit to ensure the prevention of healthcare-associated infections.
The hospital’s Hand Hygiene Strategy includes:
- Staff training on proper techniques.
- Correct management of patients carrying communicable infectious diseases.
- Participation in the PROA group in the fight against antibiotic resistance.
- Review and monitoring of compliance with hand hygiene protocols.
- Contribution to the Hospital’s Master Plan to reduce environmental contamination and prevent infections caused by pathogenic fungi.
Thanks to this continuous effort, and following a WHO-led audit, the hospital has been recognized at the European level for its effective strategy to reduce healthcare-associated infection rates and ensure patient safety.
Professionals are reminded of the WHO’s “Five Moments for Hand Hygiene”:
- Before touching a patient
- Before performing a clean or aseptic task
- After exposure risk to body fluids
- After touching a patient
- After touching patient surroundings
“Hand hygiene is a simple, effective, and cost-efficient measure to prevent healthcare-associated infections,” noted the Infection Control Unit.