25 Mexican Hospitals Vow to Eliminate Preventable Death

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

Dr Javier Dávila Torres, along with 11 officials from Mexico has announced at the Patient Safety Movement Foundation’s (PSMF) World Patient Safety, Science & Technology Summit that 25 hospitals signed a commitment to implement processes to eliminate preventable patient deaths.

In addition, Mexico’s Academy of Surgery, Federation of Anesthesiologists and College of Health Quality Professionals of the West, Guadalajara and Jalisco have joined the Foundation as “Committed Partners” that share the PSMF’s mission.

By signing the commitment, the hospitals commit to implementing processes, such as Actionable Patient Safety Solutions (APSS), designed to help eliminate preventable patient deaths in hospitals.

“Our Patient Safety Movement began in the United States, but its vision for protecting patient lives has always been global. We are very excited to see patient safety commitments representing 33 hospitals and 3 healthcare organizations in Mexico, protecting our neighbors from preventable deaths,” said Joe Kiani, Founder of the Patient Safety Movement Foundation. “Patient safety in hospitals is a global concern, and we hope all countries will join us.”

“We appreciate all of the physicians, nurses and multi-disciplinary teams that have stepped forward to make a commitment to the Patient Safety Movement,” said Dr. Javier Davila, Patient Safety Movement’s Regional Chairman for Mexico and Former Medical Director of the Social Security Mexican Institute. “This is just the beginning for Mexico and we need every hospital to participate if we want to eliminate medical errors and preventable deaths.”

“We are looking forward to working closely with the Patient Safety Movement. Our Institute aims to promote the comprehensive education of patient safety, and to eliminate the serious infections associated with health care,” said Dr David Kershenobich, General Director of the National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition and former President of the National Academy of Medicine of Mexico.

“We were pleased to see mental health as one of the challenges addressed at this year’s Summit, said Dr María Elena Medina-Mora, General Director of the National Institute of Mental Health. “The people who suffer with mental health conditions live much of their life without access to proper care. Our mission is to try to provide them with quality of life and safety in their care. We are excited to work with the Patient Safety Movement.”

“The Mexican Academy of Surgery, in conjunction with the Public Health sector of the Mexican Federal Government, will provide continuous medical education in different surgical specialties to academic organizations and Universities,” said Dr Jesús Tapia, President of the Mexican Academy of Surgery. “It is our hope that all of our members commit to making zero preventable patient deaths by the year 2020 their safety goal.”