The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) concluded the celebration of the sixth Qatar Patient Safety Week (QPSW) yesterday.
The sixth QPSW was organised by the ministry from September 13-19 under the theme ‘Health Worker Safety: A Priority for Patient Safety’.
In conjunction with World Patient Safety Day, which falls on September 17, the MoPH organised a scientific conference via videoconference technology, with the participation of a group of experts and specialists in the field of patient safety, and about 5,000 health workers.
HE the Minister of Public Health Dr Hanan Mohamed al-Kuwari pointed out that celebrating Qatar Patient Safety Week for the sixth time affirms the commitment to provide safe and high-quality care to all people in Qatar.
“With the Covid-19 pandemic, this year has been a unique challenge to every healthcare system in the world. It was a practical test for the system resilience and ability to cope with the challenges. Therefore, it makes sense that this year’s theme for Qatar Patient Safety Week and World Patient Safety Day is to emphasise the safety of health worker as a priority for patient safety. As we participate with the whole world in this celebration, we are also adopting this year’s theme: ‘Health Worker Safety: A Priority for Patient Safety’,” HE Dr al-Kuwari said.
She lauded the great efforts and commitment of every healthcare worker in Qatar who participated in combating the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the great efforts and commitment of every health worker in Qatar who took part in the response to the Covid-19 pandemic. I would like to express our gratitude to all healthcare workers across the globe who struggled and went out of their way to bring this pandemic under control. Also, we shouldn’t forget those who lost their lives battling the disease trying to protect and cure others,” she added.
The sixth QPSW aimed to promote the concept of patient safety at the national level, to urge the community to participate in ensuring healthcare safety and to raise awareness about the importance of the safety of health workers and the safety of the work environment, to ensure patient safety through a more holistic approach, the MoPH said in a statement.
Hoda Amer al-Kathiri, director of the Strategic Planning and Performance Department at the MoPH, said: “The Covid-19 pandemic has dramatically changed our lifestyle: the usual ways of social communication, such as wedding parties, funerals, modes of education, how we do work and the ways of how we plan our vacations and our daily practices.”
“Just as all aspects of life have been affected, healthcare systems around the world have faced great challenges during the Covid-19 pandemic. Celebrating this year’s World Patient Safety Day, the World Health Organisation has adopted the theme ‘Health Worker Safety: A Priority for Patient Safety”. Choosing this year’s theme reminds us that if health workers themselves are not safe in their work environment, they will not be able to provide safety for their patients, and that the health and well-being of health workers is of paramount importance to maintaining a safe and effective healthcare system, capable of providing safe healthcare for our patients,” she added.
The events and activities organised by the ministry included lectures and panel discussions by 24 local and international speakers, including four panel discussions of the key developments under the Covid-19 pandemic
The first panel discussion discussed the transformation of Qatar’s healthcare system in the context of Covid-19, moderated by Dr Yousef al-Maslimani, medical director of Hamad General Hospital, with the participation of a group of health officials.
The second panel discussion reviewed infection prevention and control, and was moderated by Dr Nasser Ansari, chairman of the Medical Research and Education Committee at Al Wakra and The Cuban hospitals, and chairman of the Infection Prevention and Control Committee of the Health System Control Committee on Covid-19.
The third panel discussion reviewed risk management and patient safety during crisis, and was moderated by Professor Albert W Wu, director, Center for Health Services and Outcomes Research at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health.
The fourth panel discussion reviewed the psychological adjustment of healthcare workers, and was moderated by Frank Federico, vice-president and senior safety expert, Institute for Healthcare Improvement in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Various health and academic institutions such as Hamad Medical Corporation, Primary Health Care Corporation, Qatar Red Crescent Society, Sidra Medicine, Qatar University and private hospitals have also participated in organising awareness activities for the sixth Qatar Patient Safety Week on their premises. Several landmarks and buildings in Qatar, including the MoPH headquarters, The Torch Doha, Al-Ahli Hospital, Al Emadi Hospital, Aspetar, Aster Hospital, Doha Clinic Hospital, and Naseem Al Rabeeh Medical Centre were illuminated in orange as a symbolic gesture in recognition of the efforts made by health workers to provide safe medical care services to patients daily, in addition to spreading awareness messages on social media platforms.
HE Dr Hanan Mohamed al-Kuwari
