North Macedonia’s Ministry of Health recognizes the need to prioritize patient safety and quality of care. Recommendations and guidance from a WHO-led visit to North Macedonia by experts and stakeholders will be used to guide the development of a national plan for patient safety, as well as an action plan for strengthening the role of the Agency for Quality and Accreditation of Health Care Institutions.
The national plan for patient safety will focus on enhancing the quality of health-care services by implementing good practices, improving communication and collaboration among health-care providers, and developing effective systems to identify and manage adverse events. The action plan will enhance the Agency’s capacity to monitor health-care facilities, improve the accreditation process and provide support to health-care providers.
“Patient safety is a top priority for us, and we are committed to ensuring that the health-care system is of the highest quality,” said Dr Maja Manoleva, Deputy Minister of Health. “This expert mission will provide valuable insights on how we can further improve quality of care by putting patients at the centre and ensure that they receive the best possible care.”
Improving key areas
The visit engaged over 70 participants, including representatives from national institutions such as the Ministry of Health, the Agency for Quality and Accreditation of Health Care Institutions, the Macedonian Agency for Medicines and Medical Devices, the E-health Directorate, and the State Sanitary Health Inspectorate; health professionals from general and clinical hospitals and health centres; and representatives from professional and patient associations and academia.
“WHO has been instrumental in advancing and shaping the national patient safety agenda by focusing on driving improvements in key strategic areas,” said Dr Anne Johansen, WHO Special Representative to North Macedonia and ad interim Head of the WHO Country Office. “We must invest in patient safety initiatives to promote better health outcomes for North Macedonia’s population and ensure greater public trust in the health-care system.”
Patient safety initiatives
The need to put quality of care and patient safety high on the national agenda was first discussed during the Patient Safety and Quality of Care Conference held in Skopje in December 2022. The Conference brought together medical professionals committed to improving patient care and safety to share best practices and discuss innovative solutions.
“The Patient Safety flagship initiative cuts across different areas of work within WHO, focusing on linkages between patient safety and health-care safety components across the different health systems elements,” explained said Dr João Breda, Head of the WHO Office on Quality of Care and Patient Safety. “Ensuring patient safety helps prevent harm, reduce the risk of medical errors, and improve the quality of care delivered by health-care providers. WHO/Europe is dedicated to assisting countries in enhancing the quality of health care and patient safety.”
The Ministry of Health’s commitment to improving patient safety and health-care quality is an extremely positive step towards ensuring that all citizens have access to high-quality health-care services.