Health Min.: Kuwait keen on applying quality, patients' safety criteria

DOHA, March 24 (KUNA) -- Minister of Health Sheikh Basil Humoud Hamad Al-Sabah on Saturday said Kuwaiti health authorities are very keen on applying quality, patients' safety criteria as human rights.
This is a "political, professional and ethical commitment" by all the staff of the health sector, as well as state institutions, in Kuwait, the minister told KUNA in Doha where he was attending a major three-day forum on quality and safety in healthcare, and the launch ceremony of Qatar National Health Strategy (2018-2022).
He added that all the Kuwaiti health utilities are committed to applying the World Health Organization (WHO)'s global initiative on patient safety quality.
Meanwhile, Sheikh Basil Al-Sabah said the sixth Middle East Forum on Quality and Safety in Healthcare offers an opportunity to exchange expertise and visions among specialists and leaderships of the health sector to discuss how to counter challenges of patients' safety.
He pointed out that Kuwait is hard at work to achieve the third of the 17th UN 2030 Agenda Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), namely "ensuring healthy lives and promoting the well-being for all at all ages is essential to sustainable development." Qatar's Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani on Friday opened the Forum at the Qatar National Convention Centre, featuring more than 60 sessions by over 20 international and 65 locally-based presenters. The event agenda, developed in collaboration with Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), focuses on patient-centred care, the internationally recognized concept known as 'joy at work', improvement science, patient safety, and leadership and capacity building. While in Doha, Sheikh Basil Al-Sabah held talks with Qatar's Minister of Public Health Dr. Hanan Al-Kuwari, and visited a host of the Qatari hospitals and medical research centers. (end) nnd.msj.msa