Kenya joins the globe in marking World Patient Safety Day

Kenya has joined the world in celebrating World Patient Safety day which focuses on quality care for patients.

This year’s theme for the Ministry of Health was “safe maternal and newborn care”.

The 2021 slogan being  ‘Act now for safe and respectful childbirth’ is a call to action for providing an enabling environment for safe and maternal newborn care.

This comes in the wake of disruption of essential services owing to the Covid-19 pandemic that struck Kenya last year in March.

According to the World Health Organisation, approximately 810 women die every day from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth.

In addition, 6,700 newborns die every day, amounting to 47 per cent of all under 5 deaths.

While leading the national celebrations held virtually Friday, Health Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) Dr Rashid Aman applauded the country’s free maternity program under the Linda Mama Boresha Jamii programme.

Launched In October 2016, by the government, through the Health ministry it has improved the quality of care and access of skilled deliveries for pregnant women and infants 

“The number of pregnant women accessing skilled delivery services increased from 65 per cent in the year 2018/2019 to 78.5 per cent in the year 2020/2021. These achievements were realized because of key government and stakeholder initiatives,’’ said CAS Rashid.

The head of disease prevention and control at the World health organisation Dr Joyce Onsongo was present virtually together with Centre for Disease Control (CDC) country director Dr Marc Bulterys.

“Patient safety begins with the safety of health care workers,” Bultreys said

“The CDC supports measures by Kenya to improve quality care by studying the risk factors associated with Covid-19 exposure.”

Bultrey urged every healthcare worker to be vaccinated as the Covid 19 vaccine is present as well as access the vaccines against influenza, Hepatitis B and other vaccines that are critical.

CAS Rashid also launched the Kenya National Infection Prevention and Control Strategic Plan for Health care services 2021-2025, the National Action Plan for the containment and prevention of antimicrobial resistance and the National Antimicrobial Stewardship- guidelines for health care settings and a clinicians’ handbook on the appropriate use of microbiologic diagnostic tests that includes a monitoring and evaluation framework.

As this day is marked all over the world, it signifies an objective to promote quality service at the point of care.

Edited by D Tarus