Jaipur: The state health department has reissued Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for infection prevention and control in maternity units, directing hospitals to strengthen hygiene and monitoring measures to improve the safety of pregnant women and newborns, reduce maternal and neonatal sepsis, and curb healthcare-associated infections (HAIs).The move follows maternal deaths reported earlier this year in Kota, Bikaner and Jodhpur. Officials said strict adherence to infection-control protocols is critical to reducing infection-related mortality and ensuring standardised, hygienic delivery environments across healthcare facilities.Under the revised SOPs, hospitals must conduct air sampling in labour rooms and operation theatres (OTs) using the settle plate method or any other validated testing process. Monthly random swab samples from surfaces and disinfected areas have also been made mandatory.“This initiative aims to reduce maternal and neonatal sepsis, minimize HAIs, and ensure a clean and standardized delivery environment. Adherence to these protocols is crucial to lowering infection-related mortality rates,” a senior health department official said.The SOPs also mandate microbial testing of water every three months. Potable water, clinical sinks and haemodialysis feeds must be routinely tested for bacteria such as E. coli, Legionella and Pseudomonas. Hospitals have been directed to maintain records of weekly fogging and air-sampling results.If microbial growth is detected in swab, water, or air samples, the affected area must be disinfected and fogged again before repeat testing is carried out. If the follow-up samples remain unsatisfactory, hospitals must seek assistance from an infection-control specialist. All cleaning, disinfection, fogging, and testing activities are to be documented in daily, weekly, and monthly registers.The SOPs require labour rooms to be spot-cleaned immediately after every delivery. Labour tables and other surfaces must be disinfected using Baccishield, which contains silver nitrate and hydrogen peroxide, while floors and sinks are to be cleaned with detergent. High-touch surfaces, including bed rails, IV stands, side tables, and areas exposed to bodily fluids, must be disinfected regularly.The guidelines also prescribe the use of sodium hypochlorite to manage spills, with a 1% solution for small spills and a 10% solution for spills exceeding 10 ml.For operation theatres, the department has mandated a four-zone infection-control system comprising protective, clean, sterile, and disposal zones. The sterile zone will remain accessible only to authorised OT personnel, while contaminated instruments, linen and biomedical waste must be routed through the disposal zone.
