World Health Organization · 1st edition, 2025 · 218 pages
A 5-step implementation cycle for developing costed national IPC action plans aligned with WHO minimum requirements and the 2024–2030 global strategy
- Issuer
- World Health Organization
- Edition
- 1st edition, 2025
- Audience
- National IPC focal points, ministry of health programme planners, public health institutes, IPC committees, policy-makers, AMR/WASH/quality programme leads, WHO country offices, accreditation bodies, donors
- Evidence
- Implementation framework based on WHO IPC core components guidelines (2016), minimum requirements (2019), global IPC strategy (2023), and global action plan and monitoring framework (2024); developed through multi-country working groups with WHO regional/country offices and external expert review
- Reviewed
- 17 Oct 2026 · GMJ
What this guideline says
GMJ summary
This 218-page practical guide provides countries with a stepwise methodology to develop, implement, monitor and sustain national action plans (NAPs) for infection prevention and control (IPC) aligned with the WHO global IPC strategy 2024–2030. It addresses eight strategic directions: political commitment and policies; active IPC programmes; IPC integration and coordination; IPC knowledge and career pathways; data for action; advocacy and communications; research and development; and collaboration and stakeholder support.
The guide operationalizes a five-step implementation cycle: (1) preparing for action—establishing governance, stakeholder engagement, and securing resources; (2) baseline assessment—using validated tools such as IPCAT2, IPCAT-MR, IPCAF-MR and WASH assessments to understand current gaps; (3) developing and implementing the plan—prioritizing SMART objectives, costing activities and securing ministerial approval; (4) evaluating impact—biennial follow-up assessments and reporting to WHO Global IPC portal; (5) sustainability—refreshing the NAP, maintaining political commitment, and ensuring long-term funding.
Core global targets by 2030 include >80% of countries with costed, approved IPC NAPs; >90% meeting WHO minimum requirements at national level; >90% with dedicated IPC budgets; 100% with basic WASH services in all health facilities; >80% with national HAI surveillance systems; and >80% achieving national HAI reduction targets. The guide includes detailed activities for each strategic direction, assessment tool matrices, stakeholder mapping templates, costing tools, country examples from China, Nepal, Egypt, Canada, Sierra Leone, Qatar, Norway and Nigeria, and links to the WHO Global IPC portal for biennial reporting.
Key points
For clinicians — doses and thresholds as stated in the guideline
- Establish a national IPC focal point with at least one full-time equivalent dedicated time and a protected, dedicated budget allocated to the IPC programme
- All countries should achieve WHO IPC minimum requirements: national IPC programme, IPC committee, guidelines, education/training system, HAI surveillance, multimodal strategies, monitoring and audit/feedback, workload and staffing, and built environment/materials/equipment
- Develop a costed national IPC action plan approved by ministry of health, with targets of >80% of countries achieving this by 2030 (baseline 2021–2022: 41% had dedicated budgets)
- Ensure at least one full-time IPC professional per 250 beds in hospitals (secondary/tertiary care); designate IPC link persons in primary care facilities
- Conduct biennial national and facility-level assessments using standardized tools (IPCAT2, IPCAT-MR, IPCAF-MR) and report data through WHO Global IPC portal
- Establish national HAI surveillance systems in >80% of countries by 2030, with tertiary/secondary facilities participating, including early warning for epidemic/pandemic-prone pathogens
- Implement multimodal improvement strategies with at least five elements: system change, education/training, monitoring with feedback, workplace reminders, and culture change
- Achieve 100% of health facilities with basic WASH services by 2030 (baseline 2022: water 78%, hand hygiene 51%); allocate dedicated, sufficient national funding for WASH in healthcare
Core global targets of the IPC monitoring framework at global and national level (2024–2030)
Table extracted from the guideline
| Target domain | Core target | Baseline | 2030 target |
|---|---|---|---|
| National action plan | Proportion of countries with costed and approved NAP and monitoring framework on IPC | 41% (2021–22) had dedicated budget | >80% |
| Legislation/regulation | Proportion of countries with legislation/regulation to address IPC (including IPC professionals) | Not stated | >80% |
| Dedicated budget | Proportion of countries with identified protected and dedicated budget allocated to national IPC programme and NAP | 41% (2021–22) | >90% |
| Minimum requirements (national) | Proportion of countries meeting all WHO IPC Minimum Requirements at national level | 4% (2021–22) | >90% |
| Programme maturity | Proportion of countries with national IPC programmes at Level 4 or 5 per SPAR 9.1 and Level D/E in TrACSS | Not stated | >90% |
| WASH services | Proportion of countries with basic water, sanitation, hygiene, and waste services in all health care facilities | Water: 78% (2022); hand hygiene: 51%; sanitation/waste: not determined | 100% |
| HAI reduction | Proportion of countries that have achieved their national targets on reducing HAIs | 31% (2023) had targets | >80% of those with targets |
| HAI surveillance | Proportion of countries with a national HAI surveillance system | Not stated | >90% |
| Minimum requirements (facility) | Proportion of facilities meeting all WHO IPC Minimum Requirements | 16% (2019) | >90% |
| Facility training | Proportion of facilities providing/requiring training for all frontline clinical and cleaning staff upon employment and annually, and managers upon employment | Not stated | >90% |
| Facility surveillance | Proportion of tertiary/secondary facilities having HAI and related AMR surveillance system | Not stated | >80% |
Source: World Health Organization, Development and implementation of national action plans for infection prevention and control: practical guide. Reproduced in summary form.
From the guideline
Verbatim
“By 2030, everyone accessing or providing health care is safe from associated infections.”
Editor’s perspective
Why this matters for Georgia and the region
Prof. Giorgi Pkhakadze, MD, MPH, PhD
Editor-in-Chief, Georgian Medical Journal · Chair, Public Health Institute of Georgia · WHO consultant, health and migration
As Editor of GMJ and Chair of Georgia's Public Health Institute, I view this practical guide as directly applicable to strengthening our national IPC architecture within the UHC programme launched in 2013. Georgia should prioritize three actions from this guide: first, conduct a national baseline using IPCAT2 to objectively measure gaps against WHO minimum requirements and establish our starting point for the 2030 targets; second, formalize a dedicated IPC budget line within the Ministry of Health—the guide's Ethiopia case study (securing initial funding of 3.2 million Birr by understanding budget cycles and engaging planning departments) offers a replicable model for our context; third, integrate the IPC NAP with our existing national AMR action plan and WASH infrastructure investments to optimize limited resources and avoid parallel structures. The guide's emphasis on at least one full-time IPC professional per 250 hospital beds is ambitious for Georgia's health workforce realities, but establishing this standard in our three main referral hospitals (Tbilisi, Kutaisi, Batumi) would create implementation models for gradual national scale-up, leveraging the biennial WHO reporting cycle to demonstrate progress and sustain political commitment.
ORCID 0000-0001-7609-4515 · Perspective written for the GMJ Guidelines Library, 17 Oct 2026
Applicability
Georgia and the South Caucasus
For Georgia and the South Caucasus, this guide directly supports strengthening national IPC programmes within universal health coverage frameworks. Georgia would need to conduct baseline assessments using IPCAT2/IPCAT-MR to identify gaps, establish or strengthen the national IPC focal point with dedicated full-time staff, secure ministerial approval and dedicated budget lines (the guide cites Ethiopia’s success securing 3.2 million Birr/~US$58,000 first-year budget as a model), and develop a costed 5-year NAP with annual operational plans. The region should prioritize integrating IPC with existing AMR national action plans (most countries in the region have AMR NAPs), leveraging WASH infrastructure investments, and establishing HAI surveillance in referral hospitals before scaling nationally. The guide’s emphasis on stakeholder mapping, multi-sectoral taskforces, and integration with quality/patient safety programmes aligns well with ongoing health system strengthening in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. Biennial reporting to WHO Global IPC portal (starting 2026) will require national data collection systems and may necessitate initial technical assistance.
Questions this guideline answers
Quick answers
What are the WHO IPC minimum requirements that every country must meet?
Nine core components: (1) IPC programme with dedicated focal point (≥1 full-time equivalent) and protected budget; (2) IPC committee; (3) IPC guidelines; (4) IPC education and training; (5) HAI surveillance; (6) multimodal strategies for implementation; (7) monitoring/audit and feedback; (8) workload, staffing and bed occupancy; (9) built environment, materials and equipment for IPC. At facility level, requirements vary by level (primary, secondary, tertiary) with tertiary hospitals requiring at least 1 IPC professional per 250 beds.
How should a country develop and cost the national IPC action plan?
Follow the 5-step cycle: (1) establish governance (IPC committee, stakeholder mapping, secure ministry engagement); (2) conduct baseline assessment using IPCAT2/IPCAT-MR and IPCAF-MR tools; (3) prioritize SMART objectives using a prioritization matrix, apply WHO costing tools (e.g., AMR NAP costing tool adapted for IPC), map to ministry priorities, secure ministerial approval; (4) implement with biennial follow-up assessments; (5) maintain through long-term political commitment and dedicated budget lines. The guide provides templates in Annexes 6–7 and links to the WHO IPC investment case tool.
What HAI surveillance indicators should countries report and how often?
Countries should establish national HAI surveillance systems covering priority infections based on local context, include early warning capacity for epidemic/pandemic-prone pathogens, and ensure tertiary/secondary facilities participate. Hand hygiene compliance monitoring is identified as a key national indicator, at minimum for reference hospitals. Countries report biennially (starting 2026) through the WHO Global IPC portal on: proportion of countries with national HAI surveillance systems (target >90% by 2030), proportion with national HAI reduction targets (target 100% by 2030), and proportion achieving their targets (target >80% by 2030).
How can countries secure sustainable funding for IPC programmes when resources are limited?
The guide recommends: (1) develop a national investment case using the WHO IPC investment case tool, presenting HAI burden data, outbreak costs, and cost-effectiveness evidence to ministers of health and finance; (2) understand the national budget cycle (e.g., Ethiopia's 3-year cycle, November–July annual phases) and identify champions within planning departments; (3) advocate for a dedicated IPC budget line, even if initially small; (4) integrate with existing programmes (AMR, WASH, quality/patient safety) to leverage resources and avoid silos; (5) engage non-governmental partners and donors for contributions (not one-off donations) aligned with the NAP; (6) use accreditation and regulatory mechanisms to mandate facility-level IPC funding.
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- Issuer
- World Health Organization
- Type
- Handbook
- Edition
- 1st edition, 2025
- Status
- Current
- Published
- 2025-06-24
- Languages
- English; translations not specified
- Scope
- National and facility-level IPC programme development, implementation, monitoring and sustainability across all health facility types (primary, secondary, tertiary, public and private sectors)
- Audience
- National IPC focal points, ministry of health programme planners, public health institutes, IPC committees, policy-makers, AMR/WASH/quality programme leads, WHO country offices, accreditation bodies, donors
- Pages
- 218
- Licence
- CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO
- ISBN
- 978-92-4-011194-3
- Evidence
- Implementation framework based on WHO IPC core components guidelines (2016), minimum requirements (2019), global IPC strategy (2023), and global action plan and monitoring framework (2024); developed through multi-country working groups with WHO regional/country offices and external expert review
- Next review
- Aligned with biennial global reporting cycle; first global progress report to World Health Assembly May 2025
- Record history
- Created 17 Oct 2026 · updated 17 Oct 2026 · next check Apr 2027
World Health Organization. Development and implementation of national action plans for infection prevention and control: practical guide. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2025. 218 p. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.GMJ Guidelines Library records are original summaries written by the GMJ editorial team from the issuer’s published document and reviewed by a physician. They do not replace the full guideline. The document is the copyright of its issuer and is linked, not hosted. Spotted an error or a newer edition? Tell the Guidelines Desk.
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