The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, yesterday urged Nigerians to report cases of gross negligence and malpractice by health workers, including doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and laboratory scientists, among others. He said issues about infractions about medication administration and other health care services should be reported to the Federal Government for proper investigation and sanctions.
He noted that while a study has shown that there is serious under-reporting of medication errors in the country, many Nigerians have experienced great harm and have lost their lives due to surgical errors, diagnostic errors, unsafe transfusions and radiation errors.
He further said it is within the rights of the patient to ask questions about the name and side effects of medications being prescribed or administered for them. He said any attempt by the health care worker to hide or decline such requests should be reported.
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While stating that such complaints do not require the complainant to make any payment, the minister encouraged Nigerians to write to the Federal Ministry of Health to inform it of such unethical and unprofessional conduct and practices, for such individuals and institutions to be tried and sanctioned by their regulatory bodies.
Dr Ehanire made this known in Abuja during the commemoration of this year’s World Patient Safety Day, with the theme “Medication without Harm,” in partnership with the World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr Ameyo Stella Adedevoh (DRASA) Health Trust, and other partners.
Represented by the Director of Hospital Services, Dr Adebimpe Adebiyi, Ehanire said: “The goal is to reduce severe medication-related harm by 50 per cent in the next five years by addressing harms resulting from unsafe practices in the health system. The benefits of drugs and medications cannot be overemphasized, however, medications can sometimes cause serious serious harm if not used correctly, either as a result of miscommunication between the patient and healthcare giver, error in prescriptions, poor monitoring of patients on medication, misuse of antibiotics which can result in antimicrobial resistance, confusion in dispensing look-alike and sound-alike drugs, and others.”
The Country Representative of the WHO, Dr Walter Mulombo, who was represented by Dr Alex Chimbaru, said: “The theme of this year’s event specifically draws attention to the need to put systems in place to support safe medication and address unsafe practices.
“Medication errors of care are commonly due to weakness in medication systems, and are aggravated by a shortage of well-trained health members of staff and environmental conditions.”