It is our pleasure to invite you to participate to the 10th International Congress of DAS. As tradition wants it
takes place in Antalya with the Mediterranean Sea as background.
“Mediterranean” means “Center of the world”. For some, the
central sterilization department (CSSD) is the center, the heart
of the hospital. I do not want to go that far. The CSSD is an
important facility services in the hospital. But it can only be
as important as the quality it provides and as the service it
offers. Therefore we always have to be 100% committed to the
task of the provision of a high quality medical device to the
health care provider and by extension to the patient. This is
the “raison d'être” of the CSSD. At the same time it also
ensures its survival as an independent department in the
hospital. This is, in my opinion, still the preferred option!
The history of the Mediterranean region is the history
of the interaction of the cultures and people of the lands
surrounding the sea. This still is today an important lesson and
warning. Indeed we live in times where people and countries are
increasingly falling back on their selves, where one not only
talks about protectionism but even about the building of walls.
It, of course, is the fundamental duty of nation states to
provide their citizens protection and to preserve culture, what
makes the identity of a people. However, this obligation should
not be an excuse for a total stand still in other domains.
Advances in science and technology should be embraced because
they provide more welfare and prosperity. Moreover, intellectual
progress does not confine itself within walls. The latter is
especially the case in medicine where innovation has brought a
significant improvement in the quality of life of our patients.
Therefore, we must dare to look beyond the walls of our
departments. Only by gaining insight and by comparing us with
foreign countries we can improve quality of our service in the
entire healthcare sector, including the sterilization department,
antisepsis and disinfection.
Because we are convinced that this is the path to follow, we
also, this time, have put together a program with international
flavor. We not only hope that it can carry away your interest
but also that it will make you reflect on your own practice.
The grand, heroic background of the Mediterranean Sea is the
setting of choice to also try to revive the historical
interaction between Asian countries. That's why we extend a
special invitation to them. Hopefully you will accept it so we
can open a dialogue on the occasion of this conference and
establish partnerships for the future.
