On World Day for Safety and Health at Work which falls on September 17 every year, the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) yesterday concluded a celebration of the 6th Qatar Patient Safety Week.
This year celebration held under the theme “Health Worker Safety: A Priority for Patient Safety”, in a powerful gesture to the importance of safety of health workers and acknowledging their critical role in providing health services which are not possible without them. World Health Organisation estimates that there are more than 136 million involved in health and social services worldwide.
As shields, they at the front line in responses to COVID-19, being the most exposed to hazards that put them at risk of infection.
Because of such work conditions, the infection rates among them reached around 14% of coronavirus cases according to latest WHO report. The numbers in some countries lacking personal protective equipment reach 35% making them face high risk of infection and death. Therefore it is difficult to draw line between safety of patients and safety of health staff, and this prompted the WHO to say: “No country, hospital or clinic can keep its patients safe unless it keeps its health workers safe.”
Exposure to health risk may not be new to health workers dealing with different types of infectious diseases, but the COVID-19 has made this year’s challenge a unique one to the healthcare system. The Qatar Patient Safety Week is an annual event organised by MoPH at the national level since 2014 as an educational and awareness initiative.
The Ministry uses the event to highlight several health issues and create a platform to share achievements and promote partnerships keeping abreast of developments in patient safety. The Minister of Public Health H E Dr. Hanan Mohammed Al Kuwari took the advantage of the event to remind the public with role of health workers and expressed her “gratitude to all healthcare workers across the globe that struggled and went out of their way to bring this pandemic under control.”
For marking the event, several landmarks in Qatar were illuminated in orange as a symbolic gesture in recognition of the efforts made by health workers to provide safe healthcare services to patients daily, in addition to getting the community’s attention and send awareness messages to the entire population. As safety of health workers is critical to ensure continued availability, access and delivery to health services, their great efforts and commitment in particular amid COVID-19 pandemic, deserve appreciation and respect from everyone in Qatar and the entire world.
