Expert Calls For Safeguarding Patients’ Interests In Pak

Karachi: A top US patient safety expert Dr. Paul Barach has called for setting up a Patient Safety Association of Pakistan to safeguard the interests of the Pakistani patients, saying this association can help in keeping an eye over illegal and unethical medical practices by the healthcare organizations and professionals in the country.

“There should be government agencies on national and regional levels to look after the patients’ interests and at the same time, a general patient safety association would help in a great way in safeguarding the interests of the patients in Pakistan”, Dr. Paul from Wayne State University School of Medicine, USA said while addressing a news conference regarding patient safety at Karachi Press Club (KPC) on Friday.

Accompanied by Prof. Abdul Bari Khan, Chief Executive Officer of the Indus Hospital, Dr. Salma Jaouni from Jordan, Dr. Zakiuddin Ahmed and Prof. Mati-ur-Rehman from Riphah University, Islamabad, Dr. Paul Barach said there are at least 15 associations of patients in United States, some of them general and some of them are disease-specific, which help in safeguarding patients’ rights and interests.
He said he was aware of the functioning of Punjab Healthcare Commission, which according to him, was doing a great job and keeping an eye over the functioning of hospitals, healthcare facilities, diagnostic centers and professionals and it was effectively enforcing the regulations to ensure that patients’ rights are protected. “Same can be done here to ensure that patients are not exploited financially and they get the quality treatment in a healthcare system”, he added.

Dr. Paul Barach on the occasion called for collaborated efforts by the media, civil society, government and other stakeholders in creating awareness about patient safety and patients’ rights in Pakistan.
Prof. Abdul Bari Khan, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Indus Hospital, Karachi said they have launched the Healthcare Quality and Safety Association of Pakistan to ensure patients’ rights and safety in the public and private healthcare facilities.

He said this association will train people, doctors and paramedics and nurses so that medication and medical errors could be minimized, which result in thousands of deaths and loss of organs and other complications for patients, which often result in permanent disabilities to them.
Dr. Salma Jaouni from the Jordanian Healthcare Accreditation Council (HCAC) said they had international accreditations for hospials in Jordan, which ensure patient safety and added that Jordanian experts could help Pakistan in learning from their experience and ensure provision of quality healthcare to patients.
‘International Conference on Patient Safety (ICPS)’

Dr. Zakiuddin Ahmed, on the occasion, said the 2nd International Conference on Patient Safety 2017 is being organized in Karachi on Sunday, October 29 at Agha Khan University, which will ensure that patients in Pakistan are not given wrong injections, their healthy kidneys are not removed instead of diseased one, injections are given in the right place and they get the medicines in proper dosage.

“Top healthcare professionals including Surgeon General of Pakistan Army, medical chief of Pakistan Navy, Chairman Higher Education Commission, President of Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC), CEO of Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP), Federal Health Secretary and medical directors of Pakistan’s top healthcare facilities and hospitals are attending the conference to device a mechanism to ensure patient safety in Pakistan.