By Samira Larbie
Accra, Sept. 25, GNA – The Greater Accra Regional Hospital, Ridge, has commemorated this year’s World Patient Safety Day with a call on healthcare professionals to strengthen patient-centred care and create safer and more responsive healthcare environments.
The celebration, held on the theme: “Safe Care for Non-Communicable Diseases,” brought together healthcare professionals, hospital management, stakeholders and invited guests to reflect on patient safety, quality healthcare delivery and the need to reduce preventable harm, particularly among people living with non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
Dr Leslie Issah-Adams Zakariah, Medical Director of the Hospital, in his welcome address, highlighted measures implemented by the facility to strengthen patient safety and improve the quality of care.
He said the interventions included the enhancement of laboratory quality management systems, ensuring the availability of essential items required for caesarean sections to minimise delays and waiting times, and the expansion of the Client Relationship Unit.
Dr Zakariah said other measures had also been introduced to improve the efficiency and safety of patient care processes.
He urged staff to remain committed to making patient safety a priority at every patient encounter and to adhere consistently to established standards and protocols to ensure the delivery of safe, timely and quality healthcare services.
Nana Efua Kobi Prempeh, Advisor to the Member of Parliament for the Klottey Korle Constituency, Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, who represented the MP, expressed appreciation to healthcare workers for their dedication and selfless service.
She encouraged healthcare professionals to continue creating an environment where patients felt safe, respected, and confident when seeking healthcare.
Dr Hillary Otchi Elom, a Quality Improvement Expert, said patient safety should be integrated into daily healthcare practice rather than treated as an annual observance.
He identified medication errors, missed diagnostic results, delayed diagnoses, lost referrals, and inadequate communication as some safety risks confronting patients with NCDs as they moved between different care points.
Dr Elom also called for inclusive and accessible healthcare for vulnerable patients, particularly persons with disabilities and people with other special needs.
He advocated a culture of reporting, learning, and continuous improvement instead of blaming whenever safety incidents occurred.
He encouraged the Hospital to identify major safety risks and address them through measurable interventions, while strengthening medication reconciliation, diagnostic safety, follow-up of test results and the involvement of patients and families in raising safety concerns.
Ms Barbara Serwaa Asamoah, former Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources and Acting Chairperson of the Ghana Health Service Council, reaffirmed the Council’s support for healthcare professionals.
She encouraged continued efforts to strengthen training, improve health facilities, and establish systems that reduced risks and promoted patient safety.
Dr Ernest Konadu, Head of the Medical and Dental Unit at the Ministry of Health, said patient safety extended beyond the patient to include healthcare workers, the community, and the healthcare environment.
He urged staff to pay attention to effective communication, cleanliness, attitude towards patients, the physical environment, and how patients were received at healthcare facilities.
Dr Konadu noted that patients with chronic conditions such as hypertension and diabetes often interacted with the healthcare system over many years and therefore deserved professional, compassionate, and respectful care at every encounter.
He noted that “quality is the responsibility of everyone” and should not be left solely to quality assurance departments.
The traditional leader of Osu, Nii Walakataka of Osu Djaase Asafoatse IV, commended the management and staff of the Ridge Hospital for their commitment to patient safety and quality healthcare.
He said patient safety was a shared responsibility and encouraged healthcare workers, patients, families, and the wider community to work together to promote safe, respectful, and patient-centred care.
He pledged continued support for initiatives aimed at strengthening patient safety and improving the quality of healthcare delivery in the community.
The celebration ended with a renewed call on all staff to recognise patient safety as a shared responsibility and make it an integral part of their daily practice.
The participants emphasized that effective communication, safe medication practices, proper documentation, accessible facilities, respectful interactions, and learning from adverse events were essential to ensuring safer and higher-quality healthcare.
GNA
Edited by Linda Asante Agyei
Reporter: Samira Larbie