‘Change Day 4’ initiative launched to improve quality of health sector

AMMAN — The Health Care Accreditation Council (HCAC) on Sunday announced the launch of "Change Day 4" initiative and the "4th Quality Conference" in December with the slogan: "It's All About Patient Safety".

Held under the patronage of HRH Princess Muna, the "Change Day 4" initiative aims to enhance the quality of health sector, according to an HCAC statement.

During a press conference, Health Minister Mahmoud Sheyyab said that the Health Ministry seeks to participate in "Change Day 4" through offering pledges to comply with the highest standards of healthcare and quality services in state-run hospitals and health centres around the Kingdom.

"The percentage of the pledges offered by the ministry's staff has reached 32 per cent of the total pledges presented by all health sectors," Sheyyab said.

He also said that workers in health sector are the "main engine" to improve health services and provide safety for patients, stressing on the importance of investing in health cadres and providing them with the necessary information.

"'Change Day' is a global initiative, and Jordan is at the top of the medical sector among Arab countries," the minister said adding that “last year's 'Change Day 3' pledges reached about 80,000".

The minister added that this year's "Change Day" is focused on enhancing patients' care and rights, management and leadership, drugs management, infection protection and monitoring, environment safety and patients and their families' education.

Deputy CEO of  HCAC Fawzi  Hammouri stressed the council's “commitment and continuous efforts” to improve the quality of  services.

"The council is keen on launching this initiative every year and the quality conference every two. We believe in the importance of the participation of all our sector's workers to contribute to the development of patients' care and safety, so Jordan can always be in the lead among countries in the healthcare sector."

Also during the press meeting, Rowaidah Maaitah, the head of the quality conference, and Salah Mawajdeh, Hikma Pharmaceuticals Corporate vice president, highlighted the importance of improving patients' safety and quality of services.

The HCAC is the only non-profit ISQua accredited institution in Jordan and the region dedicated to improving the quality of healthcare services and promoting patient safety through accreditation, consultation and capacity building, according to the council's website.

Established in 2007, HCAC now  "reaps the fruits" of its experiences in driving change at the primary and tertiary care levels, through the generation of empowered teams, and by engaging a network of experts from practitioners to academia. HCAC works horizontally for overall services and vertically on specific topics such as family planning and reproductive health, non-communicable diseases, and emergency care, according to the website.