FG to develop patient safety  guide

The federal government says it will soon develop the National Patients  Safety Guide as part of measures to ensure that patients are protect from unnecessary harm leading to death during medical treatment.

The Minister of Health, Prof. Issac Adewale disclosed this at the weekend while delivering lecture titled ” Patient Safety in Nigeria” during the maiden public lecture of the college of health sciences, Igbinedion University Okada, Edo state.

He assured the management of the institution of collaboration and endorsement of the proposed establishment of a Patient Safety Institute in the University.

“In a short while the national  patients’ safety guide would be developed. This would be followed by by capacity building of health workers, use of safe and suitable infrastructure, ensuring maintenance culture and safe environment for patients and providers,” he said.

Adewale  explained: “In medical practice, error can occur at the planning, monitoring or execution phase of healthcare, which according to him, is the failure to carry out a planned action as intended or application of an incorrect plan to achieve and through either doing the wrong thing (commission) or failing to do the right thing (omission)”.

Earlier, the institution Vice Chancellor, Prof. Lawrence Ezemonye, said the Minister has showed a practical demonstration for the enthronement of patient safety through the passage of patients’ bill of life. Which has now become the platform for the doctrine of patient safety development in Africa.

He said with the Minister’s endorsement the institution is set to commence the establishment of a Patient Safety Institute to drive quality healthcare delivery in the country.