Health and Family Welfare Minister Sardar Md. Sakhawat Hossain has directed the rapid formation of an effective committee for infection prevention and control. He issued the instruction on Monday at a seminar on infection prevention and control at the National Burn Institute in the capital.

The minister said treatment of infections cannot rely solely on antibiotics and that greater emphasis is needed on prevention. He said sustained work is required to prevent major diseases and infections, alongside increased public awareness about infection prevention.

At the seminar, the Prime Minister’s Special Assistant Dr. Ziauddin Haider said personal hygiene and improved hospital cleanliness have no alternative in preventing infections. He also said private hospitals, as well as government facilities, must be brought under waste-management measures. SingHealth infection prevention department director and associate professor Ling Moi Lin delivered a scientific presentation. Professor Dr. Nasir Uddin, director of the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery, chaired the event.