I nfectious diseases
Clean hands save lives
Professor Didier Pittet, HUG (University Hospitals of Geneva), explains why Geneva deserves the title of healthcare capital of the world.
S ometimes it’s the simple ideas that are the best. Asked to run a campaign by the World Health Organization to promote clean hands in patient care, Professor Didier Pittet’s response, an alcohol–based hand rub solution, now saves five to eight million lives a year. It also led to people from all over the world beating a path to his door at the WHO Collaborating Centre on Patient Safety. Currently head physician and director of infection control at HUG and Faculty of Medicine, Professor Pittet explains why Geneva deserves the title of healthcare capital of the world: “We have HUG, the largest institution of its kind in Switzerland, and the University of Geneva faculty of medicine. We are also linked to very important major stakeholders in health, particularly the World Health Organization (WHO), whose HQ is right next door. We have a lot of NGOs linked to health, making us a very specific area for global health priorities - and we are based in Geneva’s Valley of Health, dense with med and
biotech. We attract top researchers from around the world; Geneva is also number one in obtaining grants.” This concentration of leading stakeholders makes Geneva ideal for healthcare meetings. “We have a lot of medical and healthcare associations based here, including the International Federation of Nurses and the International Federation of Physicians. Both WHO and the UN are keen to have people participate in programmes here, or run their own. Our excellent links with public and global health bodies and our unique proximity to them facilitates connections: people can come from their office for a two-hour session and lead a group, and people can go and visit, this makes it very special.” Geneva’s premier position in the healthcare field, coupled with an excellent quality of life and easy international access, makes it very appealing to healthcare professionals. As Prof Pittet says: “It is a privilege to be working here.”
HUG Created in 1995, HUG, the leading Swiss university hospital group, is part of a tradition of excellence in medicine and science dating back hundreds of years. The HUG group brings together eight Geneva public hospitals and 40 outpatient units throughout the canton of Geneva. / The WHO has awarded HUG the status of referral centre in six areas, including patient safety and prevention of infection / HUG has made 70 agreements involving more than 30 countries / HUG works regularly with the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Swiss Humanitarian Aid Unit, Swiss Rescue, Médecins sans Frontières, Terre des Hommes, Children Action and Sentinelles / HUG promotes global access to care and patient safety at two international conferences: Geneva Health Forum and the International Conference on Prevention and Infection Control.
"We attract top researchers from around the world; Geneva is also number one in obtaining grants” Professor Didier Pittet
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