LUTH receives global antimicrobial stewardship accreditation
The Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) has achieved the target of meeting the quality standards set by the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (BSAC) Global Antimicrobial Stewardship Accreditation Scheme (GAMSAS). This was disclosed by the Chief Medical Director, Professor Wasiu Adeyemo, at a news conference held in Lagos on Tuesday.
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He said the accreditation is a significant milestone for LUTH in the field of antimicrobial stewardship.
Adeyemo explained that the BSAC, GAMSAS is a global accreditation scheme that establishes a high level of quality that any AntiMicrobial Stewardship programme must surpass to be considered proficient in the safe and effective use of antibiotics.
He said: “AMS is a collection of activities that supports safe and effective use of antibiotics without risks of harm or danger which helps keep Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) at bay. We are proud to be the first organisation in Africa to achieve BSAC GAMSAS accreditation. This accreditation demonstrates our dedication to reducing the threat of AMR globally by supporting healthcare personnel, who are responsible for the safe use of antibiotics.”
The LUTH CMD said that the accreditation process was supported by the BSAC GAMSAS team, and LUTH management acknowledges their assistance
According to him, Antimicrobial resistance is a growing global health threat, adding that it occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites that cause harmful diseases change over time and no longer respond to the medicines that were once effective in treating them, due to unnecessary use or abuse.
Adeyemo emphasised that LUTH is dedicated to providing high-quality care to its patients, and BSAC GAMSAS accreditation is a significant step in its efforts to combat AMR and support antimicrobial stewardship.
“This accreditation demonstrates LUTH’s commitment to monitoring and managing the appropriate use of antibiotics through a formal antimicrobial stewardship programme,” he added.
Speaking also, Head of LUTH’s Corporate Services Division, Omolola Fakeye, said the accreditation was a significant achievement for the hospital.
He noted that the accreditation represented another step in the right direction for LUTH’s pursuit of excellence in healthcare, saying that LUTH has fulfilled one of its tenets or accomplishments.
“Its tenets are research training and service, and you can see service and research coming together, which now culminate into training. The service to our patients has brought about this antimicrobial stewardship certification. This is because we began to see that there are restrictions to medications, to antibiotics, and that people are taking them wrongly, which necessitated the study,” she said.
PUNCH/Wumi
