Sultanate to launch third Global Patient Safety Challenge

MUSCAT: The Sultanate, represented by the Ministry of Health (MoH) and Sultan Qaboos University (SQU), in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) will launch on September 17, Sunday, the WHO’s Third Global Patient Safety Challenge: Medication without Harm at the

SQU.

The celebration will be held under the patronage of Dr Rawya bint Saud al Busaidiyah, Minister of Higher Education, in the presence of a

number of ministers and under-secretaries.

Senior officials of the ministries of health and national focal points for patients safety and medication safety will participate in the event, along with representatives from related institutions and agencies at the regional and national levels, as well as hospitals level.

The WHO’s global challenges on patients safety are primary programs aim at introducing improvements in health systems and thereby, reducing risks and harms resulting from delivery of health services.

In this regard, the WHO launched earlier two global challenges.

The first challenge was in 2005 called “Clean Care is Safer Care” and the second one was in 2008 called “Safe Surgery Saves Lives”.

This third challenge was officially launched by the WHO in Bonn, Germany last March with participation of the Sultanate, represented by the Minister of Health.

During the meeting held in Bonn, the Organization has chosen the Sultanate to launch this challenge in the Eastern Mediterranean region due to its good reputation among the international institutions.

This meeting is the first launch

for this challenge in the WHO six regions.

The 3rd global challenge aims at reducing the harm caused by unsafe practices and medication errors.

It focuses on improving the safety of medication by strengthening the systems required for reducing such errors.

Launching this challenge coincides with the celebration of the First Annual World Patient Safety Day, that was allocated based on the Sultanate’s proposal to the WHO, which recently has been approved to be on September 17 each year.

The launching ceremony will include honouring the health institutions participated in the WHO Patient Safety Friendly Hospital Initiative (PSFHI), namely Nizwa,

Al Rustaq, Starcare and Riffah hospitals.

The Ministry of Health launched this initiative PSFHI in 2016 and developed a plan to cover all public and private hospitals in the Sultanate till the end of 2018. — ONA