BY: MOHAMED SAHR
The Ministry of Health and Sanitation in collaboration with partners has commemorated Patient Safety Day at Youyi building car park on Wednesday 24th November, 2021.
In her keynote address, the Deputy Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer 2 of the Ministry of Health and Sanitation Safula Mansaray expressed her ultimate gratitude for being part of service delivery especially in terms of providing medicine and taking care of patients in both hard and soft moments.
She averred that the Universal Patient Safety for Maternal and Newborn is geared towards providing adequate safety facilities for pregnant women across the globe of which Sierra Leone is benefitting in a commendable scale especially with the help of World Health Organization and other goodwill partners.
Speaking on the significance of this day, she disclosed that health issue is everybody`s concern and this day explains about patient safety and the preventive measures to take in safeguarding the lives of pregnant women and newborns in Sierra Leone.
“The World Health Organization (WHO) as we all know is only involved in supplying medical supports and equipment to countries in a time of urgent need. So the WHO has realized that if patients go without safety, more harm than good would happen and that is why they are here’’, she said.
Safula Mansaray furthered that patient safety issues in the country have to be of paramount concern to medical workers and equally the patients themselves.
She said the safety of every patient starts from the individual, whiles adding that as a result of this the World Health Organization and partners selected 17th September of every year as World Patient Safety Day.
Dr. James Bunn, representative of World Health Organization (WHO) revealed that protecting the lives of people is utterly important and needs to be taking with seriousness in every measure.
“Without safety in our hospitals, in our healthcare facilities and our homes, we are all in danger and quality of care cannot be given,’’ he said.
He made it known that the transmission of blood, the use of antibiotics and safe prescription of drugs for patients are categorically deemed important as it is one way of guaranteeing the lives of patients.
He said communication between patient and any healthcare professional is also core in saving lives.
“One of our tasks is to handover rounds that we do in our hospitals. The people are there to take note of that but more importantly, we write, we document for each patient so we know for ourselves and the person that follows,’’ he said.
Peau Nanka Bruce, representative of United Nations Fund for Population Activities maintained that the UNFPA is quite happy for piloting this year’s Patient Safety Day on safe maternal and newborn care. She said the United Nations Fund for Population Activates supports the Government of Sierra Leone with safe and quality maternal and newborn care to the people of Sierra Leone and they have been working with the Ministry of Health and Sanitation as well to achieve its goal.
Nojima Bawa, a representative of Momentum Country + Global Leadership noted that the focus of World Patient Safety Day is geared to provide care and maternal newborn.
She assured that they and healthcare workers would continue to provide the care that would help pregnant women and children not to die, given that data has shown that the death of pregnant women and children are on the increase due to curable diseases and causes.
Alhassan Bakar Kamara, Program Director of Health for All Coalition disclosed that Health for All Coalition is one of the leading Civil Society Organizations that helps to ensure that the welfare of patients, healthcare workers is made a priority and to also hold government accountable.
“As a Civil Society Organization we also advocates for the Ministry of Health and Sanitation and ensure that the basic facilities are provided for the beneficiaries as well as healthcare workers,’’ he said.
Esther Nancy Pratt, one of the beneficiaries thanked the partners who supported the Universal Patient Safety Maternal Newborn care through the Ministry of Health and Sanitation for harmonizing this particular day in order to actualize the safety of pregnant women.
She pointed out key take-home messages and urged nurses in particular to be low-tempered and easy-going when attending to patients as this would make patients strong and healthy going forward.
