Silhouette of a a healthcare professional walking through a hospital corridor with an IV also shown in the forefront

Hospitals have spent many years cutting back on infection control in an attempt to save money. But as COVID-19 threatens most of the world, it’s time for healthcare to treat infection control as a priority, not an opportunity to profit, argues STAT News. 

Preventable infections that are acquired at hospitals kill tens of thousands of people every year. And highly contagious diseases and infections like COVID-19 pose a risk that even more could suffer. That’s why the opinion piece on STAT News argues for what Kevin Kavanagh of Health Watch USA recently told Infection Control Today. He says that society could eventually have to pay the price of death because it has failed to invest enough in public health.

Some hospitals have become infamous for the embarrassing amount of infectious outbreaks they have had. But it’s not just bad hospitals that pose a risk for infection. STAT News cites a ProPublica investigation that found infection control issues at more than half of the 55 major hospitals designated by the Centers For Disease Control And Prevention.

State News’ opinion piece goes on to argue that hospitals must now reevaluate how they approach infection control. For example, the piece argues that the current way hospitals calculate if they have enough infection prevention specialists on staff is flawed and a problem.