By Raymond Ken-Mbata
The Federal Government has stepped up efforts to strengthen patient safety and clinical governance in Nigeria’s health institutions, with particular attention to the risks faced by people living with noncommunicable diseases (NCDs).
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, said stronger systems were needed to prevent avoidable harm as patients with conditions such as cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular and chronic respiratory diseases often require long-term and repeated contact with healthcare services.
Pate spoke in Abuja on Thursday, September 17, 2026, during activities marking World Patient Safety Day 2026, which focused on the theme, “Safe Care for Noncommunicable Diseases,” and the slogan, “Safe Care for Life!”
The Minister explained that the prolonged nature of NCD care creates several points where patients may be exposed to safety risks, from prevention and diagnosis to treatment, referral, follow-up and long-term management.
He said patient safety requires that the right care reaches the right patient at the right time and in the right manner, while efforts are made to minimise avoidable harm.
Pate recalled that the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare developed the National Patient Safety and Care Quality Policy and Implementation Strategy in 2024.
He said the government took another step in January 2026 with the establishment and inauguration of the National Task Force on Clinical Governance and Patient Safety.
According to him, the task force is currently working on a National Framework on Clinical Governance and Patient Safety that will provide direction on governance, accountability, quality improvement, incident reporting, monitoring and learning across health institutions.
Pate said safer healthcare could not depend solely on individual health workers, stressing that effective leadership, clear standards, reliable data, competent and supported health professionals and functional systems for reporting and learning from incidents were also required.
He called for a “Just Culture” in healthcare institutions where health workers can report incidents, near misses and safety concerns without fear of inappropriate punishment.
The Minister said regular performance reviews, evidence-based clinical standards and quality improvement processes should become part of the routine operation of health institutions.
He noted that the focus on NCDs was particularly important because unsafe diagnosis, medication errors, poor communication, inadequate follow-up and fragmented care could have serious consequences for patients who require continuous treatment.
Pate therefore called for better coordination and continuity of care, while urging health workers to remain competent and adequately supported.
He also stressed the importance of involving patients and their families in healthcare decisions.
According to him, patients should be treated with dignity, properly informed about their conditions and treatment options, and given the opportunity to participate meaningfully in decisions concerning their care.
The Coordinating Minister urged stakeholders to move beyond treating patient safety as an annual event and make it a continuous part of healthcare delivery.
“Let us move from commitment to action; from reporting to learning; and from learning to sustained improvement,” he said.
Pate reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to ensuring that Nigerians receive healthcare that is safe, effective, timely, equitable and respectful.
He also thanked health-sector stakeholders and development partners for supporting efforts to improve clinical governance, quality of care and patient safety.
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Daju Kachollom S. mni, said patient safety must be incorporated into every stage of healthcare through appropriate standards, reliable health information, effective referral systems and continuous improvement.
Kachollom said patient safety was central to the Ministry’s responsibility to save lives, reduce physical and financial hardship and improve health outcomes.
She noted that expanding access to healthcare was not enough, stressing that Nigerians must also be able to trust that the care they receive is safe, effective and people-centred.
The Permanent Secretary called on health workers, healthcare managers, institutions, development partners, patients and the media to treat patient safety as a daily responsibility.
She said the strength of a health system should be measured not only by the number of people it reaches but also by how safely it provides care.
Delivering a goodwill message on behalf of the WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Mohamed Janabi, the WHO Country Representative, Parvel Ursu, called for stronger primary healthcare systems and improved continuity and coordination of services.
Ursu also stressed the need for safer use of medicines and health technologies, as well as systems that allow health workers to report errors and learn from them without fear of blame.
He encouraged patients and families to participate actively in their care by asking questions, raising concerns and communicating with healthcare providers.
The WHO representative said the organisation remained committed to supporting Nigeria in improving the quality and safety of NCD services and ensuring that the experiences of patients and families are considered in the design and delivery of healthcare.
He commended the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare for prioritising patient safety and reaffirmed WHO’s support for strategies aimed at reducing avoidable harm and strengthening public confidence in Nigeria’s health system.
The 2026 World Patient Safety Day observance therefore placed emphasis on a practical challenge facing Nigeria’s health system: ensuring that increased access to care is matched by systems capable of protecting patients from preventable harm throughout their healthcare journey.
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