Ain Shams University celebrates World Patient Safety Day

The Faculty of Medicine at Ain Shams University and university hospitals organized a celebration of the International Day for Patient Safety in cooperation with the Office of the Representative of the World Health Organization in the Arab Republic of Egypt, under the slogan "Medication Safety", under the auspices of Prof. Dr. Mahmoud El-Metini, President of the University and Prof. Dr. Osama Mansour, acting Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, in the presence of Major General Amin Fouad, Director of the Military Medical Academy, Dr. Ehab Kamal, Assistant Minister of Health for Medical Education, Prof. Nagwa El-Feky, representative of civil society, Dr. Jasser El-Karim, representative of the World Health Organization in Egypt, and Prof. Dr. Hala Swaid, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Medicine for Community Service and Environmental Development, Prof. Dr. Samia Abdo, Deputy Executive Director of University Hospitals and Director of Infection Control, Prof. Dr. Tarek Youssef, Deputy Executive Director of University Hospitals, Prof. Dr. Muhammad Al-Ghannam, Director of the Heart Academy, Prof. Dr. Mohamed Mortada, Director of the Elderly Hospital, Prof. Yasmine Gamal, Director of Children's Hospital, and Prof. Dr. Tamer Emara, Director of the Office of International Scientific Relations at the Faculty of Medicine and Professor of Neurology, Dr. Maha Al-Tahawi, advisor to the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine for the quality of health care, and a number of heads of departments and nursing.

In his speech during the ceremony, Prof. Dr. Osama Mansour, Acting Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, said that this special day is celebrated by the university as a reminder of the importance of taking the necessary steps for patient safety, pointing out that this year's celebration focuses on drug safety as an essential part of patient safety.

He added that many medical problems may be caused by medication, as the patient may take it without a prescription, and there are rules for drug preparations and dosages that must be observed, stressing that the medical system in this regard requires integration between medicine, pharmacy, clinical pharmacy, and nursing.

He pointed out that Ain Shams University, through the top management of hospitals, along with the quality team, is committed to maintaining patient safety, as all workers in the medical system are constantly trained to ensure patient safety.

In the word of Dr. Tarek Youssef, Director of the Surgery Hospital and Deputy Executive Director of Hospitals, he stressed the need to pay attention to patient safety and drug safety in all areas of medical practice, stressing that quality standards and infection control have become an important part in all medical specialties.

He added that the celebration of the International Day for Patient Safety is an awareness message about the need to take care of patient safety as part of the medical service provided.

Prof. Dr. Samia Abdo, Deputy Executive Director of Hospitals and Director of Infection Control, confirmed that the university is keen to hold this celebration annually, and the college, the Saffron Palace, and hospitals are illuminated in orange as part of the activities, which took place yesterday evening, and called for patient safety to be on the priority agenda in all dealings with patients.

At the beginning of his speech, Dr. Jasser Al-Karim, a representative of the World Health Organization office in Cairo, conveyed the greetings of Prof. Dr. Naima Al-Qusayr, representative of the World Health Organization in Egypt, to the university and to Prof. Mahmoud El-Metini for the continuous support and cooperation with the WHO office in Cairo.

He praised the keenness of Ain Shams University, this great edifice, to celebrate the World Patient Safety Day, providing a definition of the beginning of the celebration of this day and that its aim is to spread the culture of patient safety, adding that quality is a very important element when providing medical service, according to a study conducted on 6 countries in The Eastern Mediterranean Region showed that 18% of those who visit health facilities have a side effect associated with the medication process, and that 40-50% of these issues can be avoided by following safety and quality rules.

It is worth noting that during the activities, the leaders of the Cardiac Diseases and Surgery Hospital and the Martyr Ahmed Shawky Hospital for Elderly Medicine were honored for their efforts in implementing quality standards and patient safety and their success in registering with the General Authority for Accreditation and Oversight, led by Prof. Dr. Ehab Shahad, Head of the Department of Health Care Quality in the College, and the directions of Prof. Dr. Maha Al-Tahawi, the Dean’s advisor for the quality of health care, with the support of Prof. Dr. Ali Al-Anwar, CEO of Hospitals and Prof. Dr. Samia Abdo, Deputy Executive Director of University Hospitals, Director of Infection Control, and Prof. Dr. Tarek Youssef, Deputy Executive Director of Hospitals.

An exhibition was also held after the sessions to display videos and posters on drug safety.

The celebration activities are scheduled to extend for the second day, with a community awareness session for citizens and university employees about the safe use of medicine, on Sunday, September 18, at Al-Banhawy auditorium, Faculty of Medicine, at 10 am, under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Hala Swaid, Vice Dean for Environmental Affairs, followed by an exhibition of videos and posters on the citizen’s role in the safe use of medicine, and this coincides with holding exhibitions in the Hospital for Cardiothoracic Diseases and Surgery, the Elderly Hospital and the Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital to display videos and posters to educate all workers about their role in patient safety. and drug safety.