By Princess-Ekwi Ajide, Abuja
The Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire says Nigeria is working to develop its National Policy and Strategy on Patient Safety and quality of care.
The Minister who was speaking at a ministerial briefing to commemorate the 2022 World Patient’s Safety Day in Abuja, said he is expectant that the policy will be completed and launched this year so that it can be deployed for use in all health facilities at all levels of care.
At the briefing, thecMinister was represented by the Director Hospital Services, Dr Adebimpe Adebiyi, noted that the policy focuses on improving medication safety, surgical safety, safety of all medical procedures among others.
He said sensitization and capacity are ongoing in Federal Tertiary Health Institutions in the form of training on medication safety, infection prevention control, and other aspects of patient safety and expressed hope that hospitals at all levels will be able to adopt and implement patient safety at different levels of care.
According to the Minister, patient safety is everybody’s business and it requires the active participation of many key partners ranging from patients and their families to governmental, nongovernmental and professional organizations.
He stressed that the policy document will improve patient safety, clinical outcomes and client satisfaction by establishing the systems for assessing, measuring and improving patient safety at all levels of care in Nigeria.
Earlier in his remarks, the WHO Deputy Country Representative, Dr Alex Chimbaru who represented the Country Representative, Dr Walter Mulombo at the press briefing, noted that globally, medication errors contribute to over three million deaths every year, a situation which has been exacerbated by overwhelmed health systems during the COVID-19 pandemic.
He noted that about one in every four cases of preventable medication harm is clinically severe or life-threatening.
The WHO Deputy Country Representative stressed that though there is limited data for the African continent, it is generally acknowledged that there is a high magnitude of unsafe medication practices especially among low- and middle-income countries, and as such, the African Region has the highest prevalence of substandard and counterfeit medicines at about 18.7%.
He cautioned that administration of surplus medication at home, the purchase of medication from pharmacies on the advice of friends and relatives rather than trained professionals, and the use of old prescriptions to buy medication to treat a current ailment, are all common practices that should be avoided.
Dr. Chimbaru, stated that medication errors occur most commonly due to weaknesses in medication systems, and are aggravated by shortages of well-trained health staff, and poor working and environmental conditions for delivery of quality health care, saying that patient rights to medication without prejudice can be compromised through inappropriate prescribition, transcribing, dispensing, administration and monitoring practices.
In her speech, Ninioia Williams of ORASA Health Trust, hailed the National Policy Patient Safety, which according to her, will address the break out of some ailments caused by errors in the healthcare system.
She urged Nigerians not to be afraid of seeking professional assistance owing to poverty as there are institutions that ensure access to quality health care delivery.
