Africa-Press – Uganda. Thinking about the reality that each one of us can at any point in their life time be a patient in need of medical care, reminds us of how concerned each one of us ought to be in regards to patient safety. Since 2019, the World Health Assembly designated the September 17 to commemorate the World Patients’ Safety Day.
The day has been observed annually to raise global awareness about patient safety, enhance global understanding of patient safety, increase public engagement in health care safety, and promote global action to prevent and reduce avoidable harm in health care. Considering the significant burden of harm women and new-borns are exposed to due to respectful care, this year’s World Patient Safety Day was celebrated under the theme; Safe Maternal and New-born Care.
The day was dedicated to highlight the need to prioritise and address safety and respect in maternal and new-born care, particularly around the time of childbirth, when most harm occurs and the slogan is “Act now for safe and respectful childbirth!”
This is especially important in the context of disruption of health services due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which has further worsened the situation. Since women’s experiences during childbirth are also affected by issues of gender equity and violence, World Patient Safety Day highlights the important notion of respectful care and its linkages with safety.
According to the World Health Organisation, every day, nearly 5,400 still births occur, 810 women lose their lives and 6,700 new-borns lose their lives despite the fact that most of these lives can be saved through the provision of safe and respectful care. Promotion of safe maternal and new-born care calls for the involvement of various stakeholders starting from the women, the spouses, the community, health workers, law enforcers and policy makers; ensuring that everyone plays their role to play. For example, our communities ought to know that every pregnant woman must attend all appointments during pregnancy and after childbirth, be actively involved in their your own care and the care of their baby.
Women should be empowered to communicate openly with the health care team and feel free to ask questions and raise concerns, if any, about herself or her baby. Birth Companions are very important in creating safe environment for patients, therefore, women should be encouraged to have birth companions to support them mentally and physically especially during the first few days after birth. Spouses, families and communities should be empowered to speak up for the rights of your loved ones to safe and respectful care during pregnancy and after childbirth.
The turbulent times due to Covid-19 pose even greater challenges to patient safety. Health facilities and health workers must ensure that health care services are provided in safe environments that abide by the standard operating procedures. Health workers should follow safety precautions for Covid-19 and other public health hazards in the community. Health workers play an active role and work with policy makers to establish safer maternal and newborn services.
Midwives play a vital role in striving to make childbirth a positive experience for all women and newborns by providing safe and quality care ,building trust ,engaging and empowering women in decision-making during childbirth. And for healthcare leaders and facility manager, promote an environment for childbirth that involves women in shared decision-making, maintaining their dignity, privacy and confidentiality, and preventing mistreatment and also putting in place infection prevention and control measures.
Policy-makers and programme managers should Invest in health systems: Allocate sufficient resources for equitable access to safe and quality maternal and newborn health services, build a competent and sufficient health workforce supported by a safe and enabling work environment, support health professional associations to establish maternal and newborn health and implement up-to-date guidance on safe and respectful childbirth and also establish reporting and learning systems to guide improvements in maternal and neonatal care.
Lastly, midwives are at the heart of managing all preventable deaths among mothers and newborns. I, therefore, call upon government to invest in midwives so they provide sufficient quality safe care and positive birth experience with respect and dignity.
Hadijah Nakatudde is a registered midwife /midwifery tutor and secretary National Midwives Association Of Uganda ,Eastern Region
