KUWAIT CITY, Sept 18: The Ministry of Health announced today, Wednesday, that 23 medical projects from governmental and private health institutions have won the “Safety Star” Award for 2023. These winners were selected from 56 projects submitted by various hospitals and primary health centers, based on the award’s criteria. The announcement was made during a ceremony organized by the Ministry’s Quality and Accreditation Department, where the winning projects were honored. A total of 17 projects came from government institutions (9 hospitals and 8 primary health care centers), while 6 projects were from private sector institutions.

Assistant Undersecretary for Public Health Affairs, Dr. Al-Mundhir Al-Hasawi, speaking on behalf of the event patron, Minister of Health Dr. Ahmed Al-Awadhi, stated that the award was established by the Quality Department a decade ago to recognize outstanding workers. He noted that today’s ceremony coincides with World Patient Safety Day. Dr. Al-Hasawi highlighted that this award marks a significant development in the field of patient safety in health facilities across Gulf Cooperation Council countries. It aims to raise awareness among health sector workers about safety programs and recognize exemplary workers whose performance can serve as a model. Additionally, the award fosters a spirit of positive competition within health institutions and promotes the exchange of best practices and services.

He emphasized that the Safety Star celebration, now in its tenth consecutive year, represents progress in addressing challenges and planning for the provision of safe and effective care. This has a substantial impact on both service providers and beneficiaries. Dr. Al-Hasawi expressed hope that this recognition will inspire Ministry employees to further implement safety programs, creating a secure and competitive environment to achieve the highest standards of safe health services.

Dr. Al-Hasawi also mentioned that this recognition aligns with the Ministry's vision of delivering high-quality health care in accordance with the latest international standards, ensuring safety for patients, service providers, and society as a whole. He stressed the Ministry’s commitment to supporting initiatives aimed at improving patient safety and creating an error-free environment, while acknowledging the positive developments in safety programs and the spread of a patient safety culture among health workers and the general public.

In his remarks, the Director of the Quality and Accreditation Department, Dr. Talal Al-Fadala, described the award as an opportunity to showcase best practices and improvements in safety programs and risk management. He also noted that the award encourages healthy competition and supports the leaders of health institutions in implementing safety programs. Dr. Al-Fadala expressed his gratitude to all healthcare workers and congratulated the winners and their teams for their efforts to enhance patient safety.

Head of Safety Programs, Dr. Hana Al-Ghanem, explained that nominations for the award must be submitted through the Quality and Accreditation Department, accompanied by documentation that demonstrates the positive impact of the project on patient safety and its compliance with the award’s eligibility criteria. She added that the nominations are evaluated by the Safety Star Award Supervisory Team within Quality Management and Accreditation based on specific award criteria.

Dr. Al-Ghanem expressed her hope that the award would help spread and adopt a culture of patient safety and encourage the implementation of improvement practices within health institutions, leading to positive changes in patient safety. She also aspires to increase awareness among health sector workers about safety programs and recognize outstanding individuals in the field.