The Sultanate, represented by the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) will launch next Sunday the WHO’s Third Global Patient Safety Challenge: Medication without Harm at the SQU. 

The celebration will be held under the patronage of H.E. Dr. Rawya bint Saud al-Busaidiyah, Minister of Higher Education with the presence of number of ministers and undersecretaries.

The participants in the event will be senior officials of ministries of health and national focal points for patients safety and medication safety along with representatives from related institutions and agencies at the regional and national levels, as well as hospitals level.

The WHO’s global challenges on patients safety are primary programs aimed at introducing improvements in health systems and thereby, reducing risks and harms resulting from delivery of health services. In this regard, the WHO launched earlier two global challenges. The first challenge was in 2005 called “Clean Care is Safer Care” and the second one was in 2008 called “Safe Surgery Saves Lives”.

This third challenge was officially launched by the WHO in Bonn, Germany last March with participation of the Sultanate, represented by the Minister of Health.

During the meeting held in Bonn, the Organization has chosen the Sultanate to launch this challenge in the Eastern Mediterranean region due to its good reputation among the international institutions. This meeting is the first launch for this challenge in the WHO six regions.

The 3^rd global challenge aims at reducing the harm caused by unsafe practices and medication errors. It focuses on improving the safety of medication by strengthening the systems required for reducing such errors.

Launching this challenge coincides with the celebration of the First Annual World Patient Safety Day, that was allocated based on the Sultanate’s proposal to the WHO, which recently has been approved to be on 17^th of September each year.  

The launching ceremony will include honoring the health institutions participated in the WHO Patient Safety Friendly Hospital Initiative (PSFHI) which are: Nizwa, Rustaq, Starcare and Riffah hospitals. The Ministry of Health launched this initiative PSFHI in 2016 and developed a plan to cover all public and private hospitals in the Sultanate till the end of 2018.

Due to the importance of this high-level event in the Sultanate, the Ministry of Health, represented by the Directorate-General of Quality Assurance Center and other MOH Directorates and in collaboration with the SQU made all the preparations, as well as providing adequate support for the participants. In addition, a main committee was formed consist of sub-committees related to various organizational, administrative and media matters.