22 September 2021, Tehran – World Patient Safety Day 2021 was observed in the Islamic Republic of Iran on 19 September this year during a formal online ceremony organized by the Ministry of Health and Medical Education with the virtual attendance of WHO Representative Dr Syed Jaffar Hussain, ministerial authorities and representatives from universities of medical sciences in different provinces.
The virtual event themed ‘Act Now for Safe and Respectful Childbirth!’ commenced with opening remarks by Dr Hussain underlining the importance of maintaining a quality health system in which health services are effective, safe, people-centred, timely, equitable, integrated, and efficient.
“Quality and safety in primary health care are crucial in achieving the broad public health goals within universal health coverage,” said Dr Hussain. He referred to Islamic Republic of Iran’s health system as one of the most robust globally supported by a strong primary health care programme. “Islamic Republic of Iran is making progress towards achieveent of the Sustainable Development Goals to reduce the maternal mortality ratio by two thirds by 2030,” he added. “Currently, 96.9% of pregnant women are covered under prenatal care and 73.9% under postnatal care.”
Photo: Mr Akbar Badrkhani, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
“The number of still births, rates of maternal mortality and neonatal deaths across the world are being further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic but could be drastically reduced through provision of safe care,” Dr Jaffar noted, calling for safe and respectful childbirth for mothers and children on the journey towards materializing universal health coverage for all.
Photo: Mr Akbar Badrkhani, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Islamic Republic of Iran has a well-established maternal health care system. Information on maternal health status at the time of admission for childbirth until two hours during postpartum is thoroughly recorded at IMAN (Islamic Republic of Iran's maternal and neonatal network). There are other platforms gathering information on preconception, antenatal and postnatal care at the maternal morbidity surveillance system, maternal mortality surveillance system, and recently on the COVID-19 information registry as well as the COVID-19 vaccination registry. The Ministry of Health and Medical Education with support from the WHO country office is considering integration of these information systems for improving evidence-based and data-driven approaches towards policy-making.
Photo: Mr Akbar Badrkhani, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Dr Hussain also underlined the importance of take existing realities and data into account for plans for the next biennium to ensure provision of access to maternal health care despite COVID-19 and struggling health systems.
Commemoration of the day was convened by the Deputy of Public Health in the Ministry of Health and Medical Education, in collaboration with the Kerman Future Study Research Centre. During the ceremony, Dr Jafar Sadegh Tabrizi, Director General for PHC Network Management at the Ministry of Health and Medical Education, presented a summary of national plans for quality improvement in primary health care, and reviewed the advancements accomplished so far. It was followed by Dr Seyyed Hamed Barekati, Director General of the Family, Population and School Health Department presenting the principles of patient safety in health care. The session concluded with representatives from universities of medical sciences sharing experiences and improvement plans for quality of patient care and calling on all involved parties to step up for better patient care that ensures maximum safety, efficiency, and impact.
Photo: Mr Akbar Badrkhani, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Photo: Mr Akbar Badrkhani, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Photo: Mr Akbar Badrkhani, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
