INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
KARACHI: On the request of federal health ministry, a seven-member mission of World Health Organization (WHO) has arrived in Pakistan to
assist and support the country's federal and provincial health departments to develop National Quality Policy and Strategy (NQPS) and
transform a few of public and private health facilities into patient-safety friendly hospitals through WHO flagship Patient Safety Friendly
Hospital Initiative (PSFHI), health authorities said on Tuesday.&On our request, a joint mission of WHO and the Eastern Mediterranean
Regional Office (EMRO) of the WHO comprising seven international experts has arrived on a five-day visit to help us on patient safety
strategy issues and to transform our facilities into patient safety friendly hospitals,& said Dr
Zafar Mirza, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health while talking to The News.Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and
Coordination officials said the WHO mission is comprised of WHO Regional Advisor Dr
Donna Forsyth from National Health Services England, Dr
Mathew Neilsen and Ms Afifa Baloch
The international mission is tasked with identifying gaps of quality, patient safety and Infection Prevention Control (IPC) within the
healthcare system of Pakistan.&The joint WHO mission has been requested to visit six major hospitals in Pakistan which includes PIMS and
Shifa International Hospital Islamabad in the capital, Lahore General Hospital and Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital in Lahore and Jinnah
Postgraduate Medical Center (JPMC) and Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) in Karachi,& an official of the federal health ministry said
while explaining details of scheduled engagements of the mission
These experts, he added, would also be holding meetings with federal and provincial health authorities before presenting their proposals to
the government of Pakistan.Special Assistant to the PM Dr
Mirza said the international team of experts would be meeting with local and as well as international agencies' health officials in Pakistan
and provide full technical support to the country for launching its flagship Patient Safety Friendly Hospital Initiative at the selected
hospitals in the federal capital and provincial headquarters.Health authorities said they were pushed to invite international expertise for
Infection Prevention Control (IPC) and patient safety after several leading international health experts associated with WHO, UNAIDS and UN
other health agencies warned of more Larkana-like HIV outbreaks in other parts of the country if immediate measures were not adopted for
patient safety, infection control, safe disposal of hospital waste, training of healthcare providers and awareness of masses regarding
infectious diseases.&We are facing huge health challenges ranging from HIV outbreaks to having largest number of viral hepatitis patients in
Anti Microbial Resistance (AMR) and Extensively Drug Resistant Typhoid, growing incidence of Multi-Drug Resistant (MDR) Tuberculosis,
numerous water-borne diseases as well high incidence of non-communicable diseases including diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) and
hypertension are also causes of immense worry for us,& the NHS official conceded.Health authorities said they were also seeking the support
of local health experts from public and private health varsities and institutions in transforming major hospitals into patient friendly
facilities while cooperation of provincial governments was also being sought to prevent future incidents like HIV outbreak in Sindh.&I&m
hopefully holding a presser with the members of WHO mission in Islamabad in a few days when the mission completes its investigation&, Dr
Zafar Mirza said.TheIndianSubcontinent has not verified the content of the source
This first appeared/also appeared in
https://feedproxy.google.com/~r/com/YEor/~3/7fZicOu6jT8/496060-who-mission-in-pakistan-to-help-transform-hospitals-into-patient-safety-frien
