18.12.2025 11:35
The new regulation prepared by the Ministry of Health has been published in the Official Gazette. Accordingly, it will be mandatory to establish an infection control committee in all hospitals. The committee, which will consist of various units such as infectious disease specialists and intensive care representatives, will have binding decisions, and hospital administrations will be obliged to implement these decisions.
The regulation prepared by the Ministry of Health regulates the establishment, duties, and authorities of infection control committees formed in inpatient treatment institutions, as well as their working procedures and principles.
Accordingly, it will be mandatory to establish an infection control committee in inpatient treatment institutions. The committee will consist of various units, including an infectious diseases specialist, intensive care representatives, the microbiology laboratory manager, infection control nurse, and hospital management. The decisions made by the committee will be binding, and hospital administrations will be obliged to implement these decisions. In the inpatient treatment institution where the infection control committee is established, if there is no infectious diseases and clinical microbiology specialist, consultancy services will be obtained from an infection control physician working in an inpatient treatment institution within the same provincial borders.
DUTIES OF THE INFECTION CONTROL COMMITTEE
The infection control committee will determine the infection control program based on scientific principles and will monitor its implementation. It will update the infection prevention and control standards that need to be applied, taking into account current national and international guidelines when necessary. It will ensure that in-service training is provided to the personnel working in the inpatient treatment institution and will supervise the practices.
PLANNING AND ENSURING THE CONTINUITY OF SURVEILLANCE
The infection control committee will plan and ensure the continuity of surveillance, taking into account the needs and conditions of the inpatient treatment institution in accordance with the surveillance standards related to infections established by the Ministry. It will determine priorities based on the analysis of surveillance data. It will establish the infection control program and its objectives, and will present an annual report to the management that includes the level of achievement of the objectives at the end of the year. It will make recommendations regarding any construction and renovation plans that may cause infections, for which opinions are requested from the management. In case of identifying infection risks that pose a threat to patients, visitors, and institution staff, it will conduct the necessary investigations. It will determine isolation measures and, if necessary, will make decisions to restrict or stop the admission of patients and visitors to the relevant department and will follow up on the implementations.
ANALYZING ANTIBIOTIC USE PRACTICES
The infection control committee will determine antimicrobial management policies based on surveillance data and the results of antibiotic use data obtained from the pharmacy, will evaluate and analyze antibiotic use practices, and will report to the management along with solution proposals. By ensuring the entry of data into the National Health Service-Related Infections Surveillance Network (USHİESA), it will inform the management about the surveillance report prepared by the infection control team, which includes health service-related infections, pathogens, resistance patterns, and feedback, to be sent to the relevant departments every three months. It will evaluate, analyze, and present the annual work report and its results prepared by the infection control team to the management along with recommendations. It will ensure that protective measures such as immunization and prophylaxis for occupational infection risks are taken for the personnel.
Within the scope of their specialties, members of the infection control committee will provide training to the personnel of the inpatient treatment institution on topics related to infection prevention and control, such as rational antibiotic use and aseptic drug preparation and storage for the pharmacy manager, culture collection methods for the medical microbiology laboratory representative, and surgical antibiotic prophylaxis for the surgical medicine representative. It will ensure that activities related to infection prevention and control are carried out in support services such as hospital ventilation systems, hospital cleaning, water systems, laundry, kitchen, and waste management.
The infection control committee will operate as the highest decision-making body in infection prevention and control. In inpatient treatment institutions with intensive care units, it will meet at least 4 times a year in regular 3-month periods, while in institutions without intensive care units, it will meet at least 2 times a year. In extraordinary situations, the infection control committee may convene at the invitation of the president or upon a request made by one of the members to the presidency, subject to the president's approval.