By Chidinma Chukwu, Abuja

The Federal Government is developing a National Framework on Clinical Governance and Patient Safety to strengthen accountability, quality improvement and safety practices in health institutions across Nigeria.

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Mohammed Ali Pate, disclosed this in Abuja on Thursday as Nigeria joined the rest of the world to commemorate the 2026 World Patient Safety Day.

The framework is expected to provide national direction on clinical governance, patient safety, incident reporting, learning systems, monitoring and quality improvement in healthcare institutions.

The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare had in January inaugurated the National Task Force on Clinical Governance and Patient Safety to strengthen the systems and structures required to institutionalise clinical governance and patient safety in the country.

Speaking on the initiative, Pate said a strong clinical governance system must promote a just culture where health professionals could report incidents, near misses and safety concerns without fear of inappropriate punishment.

“Our health institutions must have functional clinical governance and patient safety structures, effective incident reporting and learning systems, evidence-based clinical standards, quality improvement processes and regular performance reviews.

“Leadership at all levels has a critical role in creating an environment where patient safety is prioritised and continuous learning is encouraged,” the minister said.

Pate said World Patient Safety Day should not be treated as an annual event but as a continuous commitment to improving the quality of healthcare in Nigeria.

He said the 2026 focus on safe care for people living with non-communicable diseases, NCDs, further highlighted the need for stronger patient safety systems.

According to him, unsafe diagnosis, medication errors, poor communication, inadequate follow-up and fragmented care could cause serious harm, particularly to patients requiring long-term care.

He said safe NCD care required strong health systems, competent and supported health workers, continuity and coordination of care, as well as active involvement of patients in decisions about their health.

“Patient and family engagement must consequently remain central to our patient safety efforts. Patients should be treated with dignity and respect, adequately informed about their conditions and treatment options, and encouraged to participate meaningfully in decisions concerning their care.

“Let us move from commitment to action; from reporting to learning; from learning to sustained improvement,” he said.

NCD deaths rising in Africa — WHO

The World Health Organisation, WHO, representative, Dr Pavel Ursu, said the burden of NCDs was increasing in Africa as the burden of communicable diseases declined.

He said mortality from NCDs in the region rose from 24 per cent in 2000 to 37 per cent in 2019.

“Nearly two-thirds of NCD deaths in the region, in Africa, are premature compared to 41.7 globally. So it gives a scope of improvement in quality and access and quality of services for the non-communicable diseases,” Ursu said.

He said people living with NCDs often received care from several healthcare providers and facilities over long periods, creating opportunities for harm through delayed or incorrect diagnosis, medication errors, adverse drug interactions, weak follow-up and poor communication.

Ursu stressed the need for regular monitoring to ensure healthcare services met required quality and safety standards.

Hospital director urges patients’ relatives to cooperate

Also speaking, the Director of Hospital Services, Dr Abisola Adegoke, urged patients’ relatives to remain calm and cooperate with healthcare workers when seeking medical attention.

Adegoke said patients and their relatives should understand that healthcare facilities had processes that must be followed, particularly during emergencies.

“Let the patient always exercise patience. We have seen situations where the families of patients become hostile and unfriendly, saying, ‘We have brought our relative, and you are delaying.’ It does not work that way. There are processes that must be followed,” she said.

She also urged Nigerians to develop better health-seeking habits by taking sick people to hospitals early rather than waiting until their conditions became critical.

“Let us encourage our people to develop a good health-seeking habit. Let us take sick people to the hospital early, not until the very last minute, when the patient is almost dying, and then expect everything else to be suspended,” Adegoke said.

She added that patients and relatives should recognise that healthcare workers might be attending to multiple emergencies at the same time.

“Remember, you are coming in as an emergency, and there might be another emergency. We all need to understand that healthcare workers have processes to follow, and patience and cooperation are important,” she said.