His Excellency the Deputy Minister of Health for Planning and Development, Dr. Mohammed bin Hamza Khoshaim, has declared that “the improvement of healthcare services and patient-safety are the MOH's top priorities, and comprise one of its strategic objectives.” He pointed out that all the MOH's efforts have been centered upon the concept of quality, with the effect that the culture of quality has become overwhelming the discourse of health policy makers. “The several quality programs adopted by the Ministry could be seen as manifestations of the MOH officials' unshakable insistence on moving to a new phase of healthcare quality and patient safety,” he expounded.
Dr. Khosahim went on to say, “Medical errors have become an obsession for all countries. They are usually attributed to certain defects; either in the work system or human performance. It is for this reason that His Excellency the Minister of Health, Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Rabeeah, gave his orders to pay closer attention to the development of a proper system, along with raising the professional level of service providers; both theoretically and practically. Actually, this is the very task currently incurred by the Ministry of Health.”
For sake of more clarity, Dr. Khoshaim explained, “The ceremony held yesterday to honor nine Saudi hospitals, on the occasion of getting the accreditation of the Joint Commission International (JCI), indicates that these hospitals have met all the JCI Accreditation Standards for Hospitals (1220 standards). This means, in turn, that these hospitals enjoy very high standard of service quality and patient safety. These standards cover all aspects of medical practice at all the hospital's sections and departments. A three-member team, comprised of international experts, pays a five-day visit to the hospital to oversee all the workflow and procedures of performance, including the procedures followed at operations rooms (the accuracy of the patient's information, signatures of physicians and surgeons, was of protection against critical errors, prevention of surgical contamination, etc), as well as the procedures followed in blood banks (tests conducted on blood donors, ensuring blood is free from epidemic diseases, and the steps of blood transfusion. That’s to be added to the procedures that have to do with hazardous materials, and the protection of newborns against replacement and kidnapping.
“These internationally conceded standards, once met by a given hospital, this means that hospital's staff (physicians, nurses, technicians, pharmacists and administrative staff) have become well aware of how errors are likely to take place, and how they could be avoided,” he added.
On the occasion of such a terrific achievement, Dr. Khoshaim congratulated all the directors-general and directors of the nine JCI-accredited hospitals. He said, “This achievement should be taken as a starting point, and they will have to stick to this achievement, and proceed on development and improvement. Actually, the culture of quality has become a palpable reality in MOH hospitals. That's why we're confident this achievement will be followed by akin to the achievements in many hospitals.” Dr. Khoshaim extended his deep and sincere thanks to His Excellency the Minister of Health, Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Rabeeah. He concluded his statement by praying for Allah to grant success for all MOH employees.
It is worth mentioning that the nine JCI-accredited hospitals are: King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital (Riyadh), Saud Al-Babtain Cardiac Center (Dammam), King Fahad Specialist Hospital (Dammam), King Fahad Medical City (Riyadh), Ajyad Emergency Hospital (Makkah), Heraa General Hospital (Makkah), King Abdulaziz Specialist Hospital (Taif), King Saud Hospital (Unaizah), and King Fahad Hospital (Jeddah).