The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), in cooperation with its partners, organised several important activities and events to mark 9th Qatar Patient Safety Week, under the theme "Engaging Patients for Patient Safety".
On this occasion, MoPH launched an extensive awareness campaign that included the dissemination of educational messages within health institutions targeting the public and health sector workers of all specialties and levels. The health institutions broadcast awareness videos and published them on their social networking sites.
Dr Saleh Ali al-Marri, assistant minister for health affairs, MoPH said that patient participation is a key pillar to ensure safety in health care, stressing that the involvement of patients and families at all levels of health care contributes to ensuring a healthier future for members of society.
Dr al- Marri added that patients and their families are currently involved in the design of the next national health strategy, and in many national initiatives to improve quality and safety such as the national clinical evidence and drug safety programmes.
Huda Amer al-Katheeri, director of Strategic Planning, Performance and Innovation Department at MoPH, said: "Safe healthcare is a fundamental right for every individual, reinforcing the commitment to advocating for and ensuring patient safety.”
Sheikh Dr Mohammed bin Hamad al-Thani, director of the Noncommunicable Diseases Prevention Programmes MoPH, said: "Patients and the community must stand as active partners in healthcare, stressing the importance of patient participation in asking questions to healthcare providers.”
He added that studies have shown that when patients and their families are treated as partners in their care, significant gains are made in achieving safety by reducing medical errors and access to safe and sound health care and raising the satisfaction of patients and their families with the health services provided to them, which improves health outcomes.
The 9th Qatar Patient Safety Week was characterised by great involvement and support from health sector institutions and medical education institutions in the country. It included lighting the Ministry's building and many health facilities and prominent landmarks in Qatar in orange, symbolising the significant role of patient safety in achieving universal health coverage and the efforts made to achieve this at the local and global levels. Orange is the signature mark of World Patient Safety Day.
MoPH building lit in orange.
