Reflecting on the statistics recorded by the World Health Organization (WHO), where there is a 1-in-300 chance of a patient being harmed during healthcare in hospitals across the world, Minister of Health Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohd Isham bin Haji Jaafar said patient’s safety is a serious global public health concern.
Speaking during the World Patient Safety Day celebration at Suri Seri Begawan Hospital, Belait District yesterday, Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohd Isham said the challenge in patient safety can be attributed to manpower.
“The issue of manpower causes burnout among health professionals, which contributes to the risk of patient safety. However, in addition to obtaining sufficient healthcare personnel, the focus should also be on improving the healthcare system as a whole by identifying the potential cause of an incident.”
The minister said the Ministry of Health (MoH) has always prioritised patient safety in line with its Strategic Plan 2019-2023 of strengthening the safety and quality of patient care.
“The goal underlines the need to ensure a safety culture and strengthen the quality of the management system at the ministerial level. Thus, the MoH has introduced various initiatives, such as an online incident reporting system, international patient safety goals and other policies to improve quality and patient safety.”
At the beginning of the year, the ministry introduced the Serious Reportable Events (SRE) policy, to mandate report being made on avoidable incidents in light of the availability of preventive measures.
He added, “The MoH launched the MOHCares application this year as another platform for patients to provide feedback and suggestions for improvement to services at the ministry.”
In terms of the International Patient Safety Goals (IPSG), which include correct patient identification, effective communication, management of high-alert medication, safe surgery, hand hygiene and fall prevention, the minister said the ministry has implemented four policies to support the goals to reduce the likelihood of patient injury in hospitals.
“When it comes to fall prevention, the WHO data shows that two per cent of hospitalised patients fall at least once, with one in four resulting in a life-threatening injury,” he remarked.
To address this issue, the minister said a fall prevention policy has been introduced to serve as a guideline, including identifying patients who have a high risk of falling and using clinical judgement to mitigate the risk.
The minister also shared that the MoH is actively improving the quality of service by conducting customer service training programmes with priority given to hospital staff.
“Among the modules are: understanding customer service culture; learning customer interaction skills; handling complaints; work ethics; confidentiality act; counter service; work etiquette and customer handling,” he added.
Meanwhile, Head of the Quality and Patient Safety Unit at Suri Seri Begawan Hospital Dr Chong Chean Leung said, “As healthcare workers, we strive to provide proper care and treatment to our patients. Therefore, we must listen and understand the needs of our patients.” Dr Chong said the theme for this year’s World Patient Safety Day aims to increase awareness among patients and their families on their safety during treatment. “The patient’s well-being is of the utmost importance in healthcare. To provide a holistic service, healthcare professionals need to be directly involved with the patients and their families, which is in line with the hospital’s aspirations,” he said. The event saw the minister officiate the occasion by showcasing a video on World Patient Safety Day, followed by the handing of the policy document, IPSG six – Fall Prevention, to medical officers of various departments. The minister also toured the various booths set by the medical officers and healthcare workers, highlighting the various risks that can affect the well-being and the steps taken to mitigate the risks.
Legislative Council members Yang Berhormat Haji Mohd Salleh bin Haji Othman, as Penghulu of Mukim Bukit Sawat, and Yang Berhormat Mohammad bin Abdullah @ Lim Swee Ann as Village Head of Kampong Bukit Sawat; Acting Chief Executive Officer Level I and event chairman Mohamad Alikhan bin Haji Mohd Yakop; Permanent Secretary at the MoH Haji Maswadi bin Haji Mohsin were also present. – Daniel Lim
