New regional programme will assess environmental hygiene practices, support hospital improvement, and recognise excellence in patient safety across Asia Pacific, with winners honoured at the APSIC 2028 Congress.

Environmental hygiene is a critical component of infection prevention and patient safety, yet standards and implementation of environmental hygiene vary significantly across the region?s healthcare settings. The new programme aims to raise awareness, strengthen best practices, and support hospitals to improve environmental hygiene through a structured, scientifically guided framework.

Participating hospitals will be evaluated using APSIC-developed guidelines and audit criteria, with assessments conducted through an independent scientific framework led by an APSIC-appointed expert panel comprising infection prevention specialists from across the region.

?Environmental hygiene is fundamental to infection prevention and patient safety, yet often under-recognised. This initiative brings renewed focus to raising standards across healthcare systems in Asia Pacific,? said Professor Moi Lin Ling, APSIC Programme Chair, APSIC Environment Hygiene Excellence Award

Through this regional collaboration, APSIC and Schuelke aim to:

• Promote awareness and adoption of best practices in environmental hygiene across healthcare institutions in Asia Pacific.
• Provide hospitals with structured tools to assess performance and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Enable benchmarking and knowledge exchange among healthcare institutions to advance infection prevention standards regionally.

Shortlisted hospitals will receive expert-led educational support, including regional webinars and on-site training sessions, to help strengthen infection prevention strategies and improve operational environmental hygiene practices. Finalists will undergo an on-site audit by APSIC experts, and winners will be honoured at the APSIC 2028 Congress.

?As a long-standing partner in infection prevention, Schuelke is committed to supporting healthcare institutions in advancing environmental hygiene standards through scientific collaboration and education,? said Patrick Kaminski, President and CEO, Schuelke Asia Pacific.

The programme represents one of the first coordinated regional efforts to standardise, assess, and recognise excellence in environmental hygiene across healthcare systems in Asia Pacific. By combining scientific criteria, expert review, and practical education, the initiative is designed to support meaningful and measurable improvements in hospital hygiene, patient safety, and infection prevention outcomes.

Healthcare institutions interested in participating in the programme can find more information at www.ehea.health