Health Minister Supports Patient Safety & Quality in Partnership With MEED & the GCC Health Ministers Council

MEED is pleased to launch the GCC wide Patient Safety & Quality Initiative in collaboration with the Executive Board of the GCC Health Ministers Council to support the increased focus of GCC states on developing outstanding healthcare systems and facilities by focusing strategies on a hospital-centric delivery model to a patient-centric delivery model. 

The working initiative is overseen by an expert Advisory Board and will aim to fulfil the need to continuously and measurably improve the quality of healthcare and patient safety across the region and follows the success of the 3rd Annual Middle East Patient Safety & Quality Congress 2015 which took place in Abu Dhabi. The launch Congress in Saudi Arabia is held under the patronage of His Excellency Eng. Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al-Falih, Minister of Health.

The first-of-its-kind event in the Kingdom is a high-end, CME accredited event which will engage more than 250 relevant senior representatives from organisations such as the World Health Organisation, Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare, Cleveland Clinic and Medical Affairs of National Guard as well as over 30 dynamic regional and international speakers such as H.E. Prof. Tawfik Khoja and Dr. David Bates of Harvard Medical.

By honing in on the patient safety and quality journey through focusing on continuous quality improvement of clinical services, clear measurement metrics, patient experience, technical innovation and infection prevention, the Congresses will ultimately help shape the future of healthcare in the region with the aim of putting patients at the centre of care. The regional initiative, developed in association with the Executive Board of the Health Ministers' Council for GCC States and various GCC government and semi-government authorities, will witness two pivotal Patient Safety & Quality Congresses take place in 2016. This will be followed by a series of closed door workshops and white paper reports, set to help the region’s healthcare authorities develop more robust and reliable healthcare plans.

The inaugural Saudi Arabia Patient Safety & Quality Congress will take place from 28th – 30th March in Jeddah at the Park Hyatt Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Following, the 4th Annual Middle East Patient Safety & Quality Congress will take place in Abu Dhabi between 9th – 11th May held in collaboration with the Health Authority of Abu Dhabi and the UAE Ministry of Health.

Both events will provide a platform to collaborate and develop continuous cutting-edge solutions and best practice models suitable for the GCC. As many as 440,000 people die every year in the United States from largely preventable medical errors. Given that there was a 100 plus rise in number of hospitals across the GCC in 2015, patient safety and quality compliance with infection control and building healthcare capacity is a crucial topic in the GCC, especially as 83% of deaths from hospital acquired infections are said to have been preventable. Risks from preventable incidents coupled with the rise in the number of infectious diseases, such as MERS & Zika virus, present the need for a major shift in the global healthcare industry. The initiative and both Congresses will address these issues and develop concrete solutions for the Middle East to move forward to tackle this mega challenge. 

Commenting on the importance of the initiative, H.E. Prof. Tawfik Khoja, Director General of the Executive Board of the GCC Health Ministers Council said, “With the emergence of infectious diseases and growing healthcare expenditure, patient safety and quality is a major challenge & priority for KSA and the GCC,” he said “This initiative and Congress is important for experts from around the globe to gather here in the Kingdom and share their experiences and knowledge with healthcare leaders and quality professionals, so together, we can continue the journey of saving lives, preventing infection spread and achieving our ultimate goal of providing world-class healthcare services free of patient harm.” 

“We believe that the focus this initiative has on the important subject of patient safety and  quality will enable the region to learn from international and regional best practices, develop and standardise benchmarks, improve clinical standards, integrate the best innovative technologies, manage preventable errors and control infections effectively, ultimately helping shape the future of healthcare in the region whilst putting patients at the heart of it.” said Dr. Nashat Nafouri, Chair, Healthcare Interest Group, Executive Officer, Saudi Quality Council and CEO, Quality Logic   

Richard Breeden, Chief Executive Officer, MEED also added that, “This is a hugely important transformation for our region and I am proud that MEED can play a part in making this goal a reality.” 

Day 1 of the Congress will focus on regulations, patient safety and quality benchmarking, leadership and culture, controlling MERS, wrapping up with an innovation forum. Day 2 will then take a deep dive into the patient experience; evidence based technical case studies, and latest technologies, whilst Day 3 tackles infection and epidemic prevention and control in Saudi Arabia.

Dr. Jaffar A. Al-Tawfiq, Chairman, Prevention and Control of Infection Committee, Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare highlighted the recent and continuing challenge of the MERS epidemic in the region and the need for more preventative infection control. “The emergence and outbreak of viruses around the world has taught the medical community that compliance with infection prevention and control measures and building healthcare systems responsiveness is absolutely crucial for patient safety,” Dr. Jaffar said “Occurrences such as the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak in Saudi Arabia in 2012 or the current Zika virus outbreak demonstrate the importance of platforms such as the Patient Safety & Quality Congress in allowing the medical community to come together and share best practice, which is instrumental in increasing knowledge, preparedness and management ability to tackle emerging infectious diseases”. Dr. Al-Tawfiq was involved in the WHO committee to combat MERS and will speaking on the results and advise at the Congress. 

The second event to be held under MEED’s Middle East Patient Safety & Quality Initiative series is the 4th Annual Middle East Patient Safety & Quality Congress. Taking place between 9th – 11th May in Abu Dhabi; the event is held in collaboration with the Health Authority of Abu Dhabi and will be headlined by the Director General, H.E. Maha Barakat.

Companies or healthcare professionals interested in supporting or participating in the Ccongress can register directly at http://www.saudiarabiapatientsafety.com/payment/select-your-ticket or find out more about becoming a delegate or sponsor at www.saudiarabiapatientsafety.com.