According to the Quality Improvement Manager of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Mr Elom Hillary, a patient’s well-being and safety was paramount in healthcare delivery, thus it was crucial for health professionals to be alert and vigilant in the course of their work.

Some unethical practices include giving an injection without clean hands, medication errors, exhibiting lack of compassion and love for the patient, and condoning ill practices of colleagues.

He said unfortunately, some patients left health centres with injection abscess, surgical site infection through receiving wrong site surgery and called for an end to such unprofessional practices.

World Patient Safety Day

Mr Hillary gave the advice when he addressed a ceremony organised by the hospital to mark World Patient Safety Day celebration in Accra on last Tuesday.

It was on the theme: “speak up for patients safety, no one should be harmed in health.”

The event was aimed at sensitising both health professionals and the public to the importance of pointing out unhealthy practices at health centres.

Celebrated on September 17, the World Patient Safety Day is set aside by the World Health Organisation (WHO), to create the necessary awareness of the need for patient safety at health centres.

Recommendations

Mr Hillary called for a change in the healthcare system to make it difficult for healthcare providers to make mistakes.

He urged health professionals to apply emotional intelligence to their work, empathy, consideration and adaptability, to ensure a safer environment for themselves and patients, pointing out that, “Healthcare providers must learn to identify their patients correctly, improve two-way communication flow, reduce the risk of healthcare-associated infections, as well as reduce the risk of patient harm, resulting from falls.”

A representative from Safety Management Department of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), Ms Irene Frimpong, urged healthcare professionals to report any suspected defect on drugs to the FDA or medical error to the appropriate authorities.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr Daniel Asare, in a brief remark, said patient's safety was necessary and indicated that the nation’s premier healthcare facility was working towards creating a better working environment to enhance its services.

A Principal Nursing Officer of the hospital, Ms Serwah Amoah, in her presentation advised healthcare providers to check their lifestyles at work to avert the occurrence of infections.