Health workers have been advised to avoid errors when diagnosing and treating patients.
Experts working in the health sector gave the advise during a national healthcare management conference on patient safety in Abuja.
Speaking separately they said medical errors had led to many preventable deaths and complications when patients seek care.
Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole who was represented by Dr Omobolanle Olowu, said many patients have gone to facilities to seek solutions to their health problems only to come out worse off because of so many errors that could be avoided.
He said the country must urgently find strategies to end medical errors, and negligence of patients.
Earlier, WHO Country Representative to Nigeria, Dr Wondimagegnehu Alemu said common patient safety issues include misdiagnosis, medication errors including antimicrobial resistance, workforce safety, health care-associated infections, and surgery-related complications.
Alemu said addressing patient safety issues would lead to huge savings for countries on healthcare expenditure.
He said the leadership in healthcare must rise to the situation by providing a conducive environment for change in practices, regulation and coordination of patient safety interventions, and effort adding that this could be done through provision of strategic direction, and sustained political will for the institutionalization of patient safety culture in our healthcare system.
The WHO Rep. said priority actions to start with include: development of a policy for strategic direction and mainstreaming patient safety, building capacity of health workers and employing the use of safe and suitable infrastructure as well as ensuring maintenance culture and safety of the healthcare environment for patients and even the health care providers.
Dean, Rova College of Healthcare Executives, Dr Emmanuel Abolo called for systems, and orientation of healthcare providers to make it difficult for errors to occur.
Executive Director of International Society of Media in Public Health (ISMPH), Moji Makanjuola said there was need to mentor young doctors in order to end the many preventable deaths from medical errors.
