Sunday was World Patient Safety Day, when World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Director for Africa Matshidiso Moeti urged countries to offer opportunities to patients and families exposed to unsafe care to share their experiences and tell their stories to improve understanding of the nature of harm and foster the development of more effective solutions.
World Patient Safety Day, which is celebrated on September 17, was set aside to raise awareness on the importance of people-centred care and preventing patient harm.
Moeti said WHO and its partners have established mechanisms for steering and coordinating efforts, building the required capacity and networks for all aspects of patient safety, including patient engagement, and provide guidance documents and tools for empowering patients and families.
“Safety of patients is a top priority for us in the WHO African Region and is inherent in all our efforts to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” Moeti Said
The WHO regional office indicates that more than 50 percent of the harm that patients experience is preventable if concerted efforts and the requisite investment were made.
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WHO has called on governments to reinforce partnerships for patient safety, as the Global Patient Safety Action Plan 2021- 2030 outlines.
One of the points highlighted in the guidelines is the engagement of patients, families and civil society organisations in the development of policies, plans, strategies, programmes, and guidelines to make health care safer.
Meanwhile, quality health advocate Maziko Matemba has said there is a need for policymakers to allocate sufficient resources to hospitals as they are understaffed.
Matemba said the day is important for patients and families as it highlights the importance of providing quality care to those that seek healthcare services.
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“This year’s World Patient Safety Day is critical as it coincides with the United Nations General Assembly where the focus is on universal healthcare. Patients are at the centre of the healthcare service system. Let the healthcare service system continue to engage patients in policy and planning all the time,” Matemba said.
He said the theme for this year is ‘Engagement of Patients in Patient Safety’, describing it as critical to service delivery.
This year’s campaign’s slogan, ‘Elevate The Voice of Patients!’, emphasises the need to involve patients in their care.
