The Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) concludes Saturday the celebration of the 6th Qatar Patient Safety Week, organized by the ministry from 13th to 19th of September under the theme "Health Worker Safety: A Priority for Patient Safety".

In conjunction with the World Patient Safety Day, which falls on 17 September, the Ministry organized a scientific conference via videoconference technology, with the participation of a group of experts and specialists in the field of patient safety, and about "5000" health workers.

Her Excellency Dr. Hanan Mohammed al-Kuwari, Minister of Public Health, pointed out that celebrating Qatar Patient Safety Week for the sixth time affirms the commitment to provide safe and high-quality care to all people in Qatar.

“With the COVID-19 pandemic, this year has been a unique challenge to every healthcare system in the world. It was a practical test for the system resilience and ability to cope with the challenges. Therefore, it makes sense that this year’s theme for Qatar Patient Safety Week and the World Patient Safety Day is to emphasize the safety of health worker as a priority for patient safety. As we participate with the whole world in this celebration, we are also adopting this year’s theme; Health Worker Safety: A Priority for Patient Safety. Acknowledging that health worker safety is the essence of the response to COVID-19 pandemic, changes how we perceive health worker safety and how it is intertwined with patient safety and the safety of the healthcare system as a whole,” Her Excellency added.

H.E. the Minister of Public Health lauded the great efforts and commitment of every healthcare workers in Qatar who participated in combating COVID-19 Pandemic.

“I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the great efforts and commitment of every health worker in Qatar who took part in the response to COVID-19 Pandemic. I would like to express our gratitude to all healthcare workers across the globe who struggled and went out of their way to bring this pandemic under control. Also, we shouldn’t forget those who lost their lives battling the disease trying to protect and cure others,” the Minister said.

The 6th Qatar Patient Safety Week aims to promote the concept of patient safety at the national level, urge the community to participate in ensuring healthcare safety and raise awareness about the importance of the safety of health workers and the safety of the work environment to ensure patient safety through a more holistic approach.

Speaking at the opening of the scientific conference, Hoda Amer Al Kathiri, Director of the Strategic Planning and Performance Department at the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH), said: “The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically changed our lifestyle; the usual ways of social communication, such as wedding parties, funerals, modes of education, how we do work and the ways of how we plan our vacations and our daily practices.”

"Just as all aspects of life have been affected, health care systems around the world have faced great challenges under COVID-19 pandemic. Celebrating this year's World Patient Safety Day, the World Health Organization (WHO) has adopted the theme “Health Worker Safety: A Priority for Patient Safety”. It is worth remarking that  choosing this year’s theme reminds us that if health workers themselves are not safe in their work environment, they will not be able to provide safety for their patients, and that the health and wellbeing of health workers is of paramount importance to maintaining a safe and effective health care system, capable of providing safe health care for our patients," she added.

The events and activities organized by the Ministry of Public Health included lectures and panel discussions by 24 local and international speakers, including 4 panel discussions of the key developments under the COVID-19 pandemic 

The first panel discussion discussed the transformation of qatar's healthcare system in the context of COVID-19, moderated by Dr. Yousef Al-Maslimani, Medical Director of Hamad General Hospital, with the participation of a group of health officials. The participants reviewed the patient safety implications during the COVID-19 and the response from senior management and policy makers at the national and regulatory level, as well as summarizing lessons learned, value-for-money, the role of infection prevention and control, the resilience of the system, and the role of technology in changing the future of healthcare.

The second panel discussion reviewed infection prevention and control, and was moderated by Dr. Nasser Ansari, Chairman of the Medical Research and Education Committee at Al Wakra and the Cuban Hospitals and Chairman of the Infection Prevention and Control Committee of the Health System Control Committee on Covid-19. It highlighted the role of infection prevention and control in achieving a comprehensive approach to healthcare safety through the protection of healthcare workers and patient safety, as well as environmental safety and care delivery processes during response to the Covid-19 pandemic. It further discussed the role of different sectors in curbing and preventing the Covid-19 pandemic as well as examples of innovations, success stories and areas of improvement.

The third panel discussion also reviewed risk management and patient safety during crisis, and was moderated by Professor Albert W. Wu, Director, Center for Health Services and Outcomes Research at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. The panel discussion described the role of risk management in the health system's preparedness and response during crisis management with the Covid-19 pandemic as an example. It also discussed the role of risk management during Qatar’s healthcare system's response to the pandemic as well as summarizing the lessons learned and how to reshape the future based on the Covid-19 experience.

The fourth panel discussion also reviewed the psychological adjustment of healthcare workers, and was moderated by Mr. Frank Federico, Vice President and Senior Safety Expert, Institute for Healthcare Improvement in Cambridge, MA, during which the factors representing additional burdens on healthcare workers during crises and their ramifications were explained while taking the Covid-19 pandemic as an example.  It also explored ways to build resilience among employees before the crisis, and how to deal with stress during such a crisis, as well as discussing various strategies to reduce the psychological impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on healthcare workers, starting with students, university graduates, graduate studies and frontline workers. 

Various health and academic institutions such as Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Primary Healthcare Corporation (PHCC), Qatar Red Crescent, Sidra Medicine, Qatar University and private hospitals have also participated in organizing awareness activities for the 6th Qatar Patient Safety Week in their premises. 

Several landmarks in Qatar including MoPH, the Torch Hotel, Ahli Hospital, El-Emadi Hospital, Aspetar, Aster Hospital, Doha Clinic, and Naseem Al-Rabei medical centers were also 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 spreading awareness messages on social media platforms.

The Qatar Patient Safety Week is an annual event organized by MoPH at the national level since 2014 as an educational and awareness initiative and campaign aimed at spreading the concept of patient safety among the workforce in healthcare institutions and their community users, providing opportunities to exchange local and international experiences and creating a platform to share achievements and promote Partnerships and keeping abreast of developments in patient safety.