Federal Government Unveils Patient Safety Policy To Prevent Healthcare Errors....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The Federal Government has announced the development of a comprehensive National Policy and Implementation Strategy concerning Patient Safety and Care Quality. This initiative aims to prevent errors and reduce harm to patients during healthcare services provision, aligning with Resolution 18 of the 55th World Health Assembly (WHA 55.18). The resolution emphasizes the significance of patient safety and the necessity for Member States to establish policies addressing it.

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Kachollom Daju, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, made this disclosure during a press briefing in Abuja to commemorate the 2023 World Patient Safety Day. She highlighted that the policy focuses on enhancing patient and family engagement in healthcare, ensuring medication safety, improving surgical safety, implementing infection prevention and control (IPC) measures, and guaranteeing the safety of all medical procedures.

Daju stressed, “Patient safety fundamentally entails preventing errors and minimizing harm to patients during the provision of healthcare services.” These errors could stem from surgical mishaps, medication inaccuracies, or diagnostic errors, underscoring the paramount importance of safeguarding patients.

She further elaborated on the significance of World Patient Safety Day and its theme for this year, “Engaging patients for patient safety.” The theme underscores the pivotal role patients, their families, and caregivers play in enhancing the safety of healthcare delivery. Empowering patients to actively participate in their healthcare decisions has been proven to positively influence overall health outcomes.

Under the banner “Elevate the voice of patients!”, the World Health Organization (WHO) calls on all stakeholders to involve patients in policy formulation, representation in governance structures, co-designing safety strategies, and making them partners in their own care.

Daju concluded by reaffirming the government’s commitment to providing safer and higher-quality healthcare services to all citizens. This effort is aimed at strengthening the healthcare system and fostering trust among the Nigerian populace.

Additionally, Dr. Walter Kazadi Mulombo, the WHO Country Representative, emphasized the challenges affecting the quality of care, including the lack of coordination, fragmentation of quality programs, human resource constraints, and insufficient data for decision-making. He highlighted the importance of the Global Patient Safety Action Plan 2021-2030, which encourages patient and family engagement in healthcare policymaking, capacity building for patient advocates, transparency in healthcare, and education for patients to engage in shared decision-making.

Mulombo stressed that stakeholders must become familiar with patient and family engagement concepts to ensure patient safety. He also emphasized the need for capacity building to incorporate patient and family engagement into patient safety and service delivery efforts.

In conclusion, Mulombo highlighted the importance of collective efforts in providing educational tools for patients, delivering programs tailored to their needs, and enhancing patient experiences for better clinical and overall health outcomes.