By Folasade Akpan
The Federal Government has established the National Task Force on Clinical
Governance and Patient Safety to strengthen service delivery and improve health
outcomes in the country.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Pate,
announced this in Abuja on Friday on his verified ‘X’ handle @muhammadpate.
Pate said the task force was created to support the development and
operationalisation of sustainable clinical governance and patient safety structures,
standards and accountability mechanisms across Nigeria’s health system.
“The National Task Force will serve as a strategic platform for integrating quality
and patient safety into all aspects of health service delivery,” he said.
According to him, the initiative aligns with global calls by the World Health
Organisation, the World Bank, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
Development and The Lancet Global Health Commission for low- and middle-
income countries to prioritise high-quality, people-centred care beyond access
alone.
The minister said the work of the task force would contribute directly to the
attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly goal 3.8 on access
to quality essential health services and support the objectives of the Nigeria Health
Sector Renewal Investment Initiative.
Pate explained that the task force would promote a shift towards improvement,
active learning, behavioural incentives and capacity building, rather than blame
and punitive actions where there was no proven negligence, adding that its
mandate included conducting a national landscape analysis of clinical governance
and patient safety, developing and standardising national frameworks and policies,
and strengthening systems for the prevention, reporting and response to adverse
events.
Other responsibilities, according to him, include promoting adherence to evidence-
based clinical standards and ethical practice, institutionalising quality improvement
and patient safety culture at all levels, supporting capacity building for health
workers and managers, and enhancing patient and community engagement through
feedback and complaint mechanisms.
The task force which will be chaired by him, is also expected to establish national
indicators and monitoring systems for quality and patient safety performance,
strengthen coordination among federal, state, regulatory and private sector
stakeholders, and uphold confidentiality in the handling of sensitive information.
The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako, will act as
the alternate chair. Other members include the Permanent Secretary of the Federal
Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, directors of relevant departments in the
ministry, heads of regulatory councils for medicine, pharmacy, nursing and medical
laboratory science, as well as representatives of professional associations, civil
society organisations and quality-of-care groups.
