Abuja - The Minister of State for Health, Dr. Muhammad Pate, said on Tuesday that the Federal Government would collaborate with stakeholders to improve the quality of healthcare over the next three years.
Pate said this in Abuja at the strategy meeting of the task team on clinical governance and quality improvement planning.
He said the healthcare system in the country was a mixed, complex, and adaptive type with the input of all relevant stakeholders needed for it to function effectively.
Pate said one major challenge for the healthcare delivery system in the country was the issue of measurement, arguing that ``what is not measured is not done’’.
``Measurement and accountability is key; so it is not about more money but about using existing resources well, applying them in such a way that people are held to account for the care that they give.
``It is about our attitudes, it’s about execution, and it’s about coalition that has quality at the centre of the agenda and this task team on clinical governance and quality improvement is now in position with the tools to start to undertake specific quality improvement effort within the institutions.”
Pate said that the country needed to do a better job of routinely taking stock of performance of the health care delivery system, adding that such monitoring effort would see the health care system move from the low equilibrium of suboptimal care to one that would be responsive to all patients.
He said improving quality of health care services through better clinical governance was one of the critical enablers of the Saving One Million lives by 2015 initiative.
He said the four pillars to achieve the goals of the initiative include expanding basic primary care service in the frontline and emphasising prevention and early detention.
Others are improving quality of health care services through better clinical governance and reviving the health care sector through unlocking its market potential.
Dr. Pierre Barker, Senior Vice President, Institute for Health Care Improvement, said Nigerians had good ideas to make things better; the organisation would only help to improve on them.
Barker said the institute would concentrate on building capacity, improve safety and reliability and ensure patient-centered care.
He said the institute would help to accelerate measurable and continued progress, to improve health care in the country.
``We will partner with Nigeria to fashion ways to improve the health care of individuals.
``Together we will build the will for change, seek out innovative models of care and spread proven best practices.’’
Also speaking, Dr. Muhammed Ado, the Executive Director, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, said the agency would use the outcome of the meeting to improve the standard of primary health care nationwide.
NAN