Hold hospitals to account over infections

My reaction on reading the story on the failure by Cork University Hospital and Mallow General Hospital to observe infection control standards was sadness rather than shock or surprise.

I have been campaigning for these standards to put on a statutory basis for more than eight years now, but unfortunately, we continue to see this kind of negligence.

Here is the problem as I see it: the incentive to stick to the standards is not strong enough. There have been written reports, recommendations, and strategies to reduce HCAIs in Ireland since 1995. However, even when patients have been seriously adversely affected, the strongest sanction against a hospital was a letter from HIQA and an admonition to do better.