By Fatima Saka
The Federal Ministry of Health has established a National Policy and Implementation Strategy on Patient Safety and Care Quality, to enhance patients’ engagement across the country.
This was made known by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry Of Health Daju, Kachollom S, on Monday in Abuja, during the Ministerial Press Briefing on commemoration of the World Patient Safety Day 2023, themed “Engaging Patients for Patient Safety’ and the slogan ‘Elevate the Voice of Patients’; With the aim to increase public awareness, stakeholders’ engagement, and advocacy for adoption of best practices to promote patient safety.
The Permanent Secretary who represented the Minister reiterated that National Policy was sent to stakeholders for review last week Thursday and Friday. “This has been done in line with the Resolution 18 of the 55th World Health Assembly (WHA 55.18) which called for Member States to recognize the burden of patient safety and to set up policies to manage them.”
She further emphasized that the National Patient Safety and Care Quality policy focuses on improving patient and family engagement in health care, medication safety. surgical safety, infection prevention and control (IPC), safety of all medical procedures.
“It is my hope that health facilities at all levels will adopt and implement this policy.
“Patient safety fundamentally entails preventing errors and minimizing harm to patients during provision of healthcare services. These errors could come from surgical mishaps, medication errors, or diagnostic inaccuracies, however, safeguarding our patients is of utmost importance.
“This year’s theme is “Engaging patients for patient safety.” Emphasize the pivotal role patients, their families, and caregivers play in ensuring the safety of healthcare delivery.
“Empowering patients to become integral members of their healthcare teams is a crucial avenue to significantly enhance the safety of their care and the healthcare system as a whole.
“Patients can provide invaluable contributions when they actively participate in their healthcare decisions. Research has shown that there is a positive correlation between patient active participation in their care, and overall health outcomes.
“Under the banner “Elevate the voice of patients!”The World Health Organization calls upon all stakeholders to take the necessary steps to ensure that patients are not just passive recipients of healthcare but active participants.
“This includes involving them in policy formulation, representation in governance structures, co-designing safety strategies, and making them partners in their own care.
“Our commitment to providing safer and higher-quality health services, to all- the able and vulnerable, to the child and to the adult, to the males and females, everyone in Nigeria is resolute. This effort will not only strengthen our healthcare system but also build the trust that citizens place in it.
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“Ladies and Gentlemen, our new patient safety and care quality policy is aligned with the ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’ of this administration as we holistically approach issues through the Federal Ministry of Health’s four-point agenda:
“Improving quality of health governance in Nigeria; Improving population health outcomes: iii. Medical industrialisation- the value chain of the health sector; and Improving health security- preparatory response to public health threats.”
“As we commemorate World Patient Safety Day, let us reaffirm our unwavering commitment to patient safety. Together, we can make our healthcare system safer, more efficient, and more responsive to the needs of our patients by listening to them. Let us continue to work hand in hand, involving patients and their families, to elevate the standard of healthcare in Nigeria.
“I enjoin Patient advocacy groups, Donors and development partners, State Ministries of Health, Heads of health care facilities, Educational and Research institutions, Regulatory and professional bodies, Health care societies to work towards ensuring that the voices of patients are listened to and their concerns are addressed promptly in order to ensure their continued faith in our health care service.’
In his remark, Director of Hospital Services, Dr Jimoh Olawale Salaudeen, said this year’s theme underpins the recognition of the crucial role patients, families, and caregivers can play in the safety of healthcare.
He expressed that patient safety encompasses a lot of other factors and not limited to preventing the underlisted: “Hospital acquired infection, Surgical Safety, Medication safety, Unsafe transfusion practices, Diagnostic errors, Radiation errors.”
“All the above mentioned and more are all that we as stakeholders should strive to eliminate from our healthcare system.
“This position is reinforced by Resolution WHA55.18 (2002), which urged Member States to “pay the closest possible attention to the problem of patient safety; and to establish and strengthen science-based systems, necessary for improving patients’ safety and the quality of healthcare”. This year’s WPS Day is set out to achieve the following objectives:
” Raise global awareness of the need for active engagement of patients and their families and caregivers in all settings and at all levels of health care to improve patient safety.
“Engage policy-makers, health care leaders, health and care workers, patients’ organizations, civil society and other stakeholders in efforts to engage patients and families in the policies and practices for safe health care.
“Empower patients and families to be actively involved in their own health care and in the improvement of safety of health care.
“Advocate urgent action on patient and family engagement, aligned with the Global Patient Safety Action Plan 2021-2030, to be taken by all partners.
“This is a call on all stakeholders to take necessary action to ensure that patients are involved in policy formulation, are represented in governance structures, are engaged in co-designing safety strategies, and are active partners in their own care.
“This can only be achieved by providing platforms and opportunities for diverse patients, families, and communities to raise their voice, concerns, expectations and preferences to advance safety, patient centeredness, trustworthiness, and equity.”
Also, a representative from the World Health Organization said it is paramount to ensure patients safety, employing all Stakeholders to come together to create awareness and to reduce avoidable harms.
