18th September, 2023
The Health Facilities Monitoring and Accreditation Agency (HEFAMAA) at the weekend said stakeholders in the health sector must take concrete steps to ensure patients safety.
The Executive Secretary, HEFAMAA, Dr. Abiola Idowu, gave this charge at the event commemorating the 2023 World Patient Safety Day, with the theme: “Engaging Patients for Patient Safety,” held in Gbagada area of Lagos.
Idowu reeled out statistics on patients safety, saying that about one to three trillion dollars is lost annually and 2.6m deaths recorded globally from unsafe care.
She disclosed that 134m patients suffer adverse effect from unsafe care, adding that it was important to draw attention to patients safety because if the statistics are narrowed down to developing countries, including Nigeria, the situation is worse.
The Executive Secretary, who gave an overview and significance of the World Patients safety Day at the event said it was important that all stakeholders take concrete steps to ensure patients safety.
According to her, HEFAMAA would consistently work to promote patients safety across health facilities in Lagos.
Dr. Olusegun Ogboye, Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Health, stated that the occasion reaffirmed the commitment of the government to patients safety.
The Permanent Secretary, who was represented by Dr Rotimi Agbolagoriite, said the ministry had ensured that patients who sought care receive affordable, equitable and quality healthcare service delivery in the state.
He said that the event was a call for people to be an active partner in their health journey as professionals foster, promote literacy and accountability.
Chairman, Board of HEFAMAA, Dr Yemisi Solanke- Koya, said that engaging the community in patient safety initiatives broadened the channels of communication and provides insight into the unique perspective of patients regarding their healthcare options.
“In reality, it is the patient’s ailment which the medical field seeks to treat and treat successfully. Therefore, who has a primary and paramount interest in that agenda? Certainly, the patient and by extension their families and caregivers have a supreme interest.
“The patients desire a full recovery to pursue life to their fullest capacity without the limitation of poor health or any further compounding by incidents arising from the lack of attention to patient safety. Consequently, patients must be engaged throughout the totality of the healthcare terrain,” she said.
Solanke-Koya stated that this encouraged deeper patient appreciation of what is ailing them and fosters their compliance, saying that a well-informed and engaged patient is more inclined to adhere to the protocol of care, adding that, it is a win-win situation for the field of medicine as patient compliance might translate to better outcomes and health indices for Lagos State and indeed the country.
“Furthermore, engaging the patient community in patient safety initiatives broadens the channels
of communication and provides insight into the unique perspective of patients regarding their
healthcare options.
“This encourages dialogue, improves clinician-patient relationships, elevates the voice of the patients, and expands the sphere of pertinent views.
“It is incumbent on me to stress that patient safety is not an isolated concept occurring sporadically or intermittently during one clinic or hospital visit for a single patient only, to be reactivated, if at all, for the next patient on their visit.
“Rather it is a continuous continuum, and an indispensable overarching paradigm that must be permanently embedded in the microfibers of the fabric of healthcare towards ensuring the welfare of Lagosians,” she added.
Dr. Adesola Olalekan, who delivered a paper on “Engaging Patients for Patient Safety. Elevate the Voice of Patient,” said to e sure patient safety, the WHO Flagship initiative, “A Decade of Patient Safety 2021–2030,” must be pursued.
He said the goal is “to achieve the maximum possible reduction in avoidable harm due to unsafe health care globally”, envisioning “a world in which no one is harmed in health care, and every patient receives safe and respectful care, every time, everywhere.”