The Tribune

EDITOR, The Tribune.

Patient safety should be enhanced to protect and promote health. All patients, patient advocates and carers should be committed to prioritising patient safety and make healthcare safer. This means that all governments should recognise patient safety as a health priority in health policy and programmes, making it a key component for strengthening healthcare systems to achieve Universal Health Coverage and establish systems to engage and empower patients’ families and communities in delivering safer healthcare.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the huge challenges health workers are currently facing globally. Working in stressful environments exacerbates safety risks for health workers, including being infected and contributing to outbreaks in the health care facility, having limited access or adherence to personal protective equipment and other infection prevention and control measures, and inducing errors which can potentially harm patients and health workers. In many countries, health workers are facing increased risks of infections, violence, accidents, stigma, illness and death.

HANDSEN CHIKOWORE

UK,

September 16, 2020.