Egypt launches major plan to cut hospital errors and improve patient safety
Egypt has unveiled a national strategy to improve patient safety and raise the quality of healthcare across the country.
The plan, which is part of its broader healthcare reforms under Egypt’s Vision 2030, focuses on training healthcare workers, unifying safety standards, and reducing avoidable medical errors.
The plan will also support the rollout of Egypt’s new Medical Liability Law and includes setting up a new department within the Health Ministry focused on patient safety.
According to the Health Ministry, global studies show that 4 in every 100 patients in developing countries get infections during hospital stays.
According to Health Minister Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, this shows the urgent need for Egypt to raise its standards.
The strategy will be guided by international models, including the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Global Patient Safety Action Plan.
WHO figures show that preventable medical errors affect 134 million people and cause 2.6 million deaths every year. Medication mistakes alone cost the global economy $42 billion annually.
The committee also discussed how to build a national system that tracks safety, improves clinical guidelines, and ensures all doctors and nurses follow the same protocols. A new National Centre for Patient Safety is being considered to lead this effort.
Officials say training is key to the strategy’s success, and work is already underway to match medical education with the new safety goals.
A roadmap has been developed to guide the strategy over the next several years.
“We need a culture of safety in every hospital, clinic, and training institution,” Abdel Ghaffar said.
