Egypt Launches National Strategy to Improve Patient Safety by 2030

Egypt has launched a national strategy for quality and patient safety spanning 2026 to 2030, aiming to reduce medical errors and establish institutional systems for reporting adverse events. Health Minister Khaled Abdel Ghaffar announced the initiative during an event marking World Patient Safety Day, emphasizing that patient safety is now a central priority for the national health system.

Building a Standardized Framework

The ministry plans to integrate safety standards across all levels of care, ranging from primary healthcare to intensive care units. To support this, Egypt has introduced a medical liability and patient safety law and formed a higher committee comprising representatives from the public, military, police, and private healthcare sectors. The ministry has also prepared its first comprehensive patient safety report for 2025 to create a baseline for future performance monitoring.

Abdel Ghaffar urged the development of a nationwide, confidential reporting system for medical errors. He stated the objective is institutional learning rather than punishment, noting that healthcare workers must feel secure when reporting mistakes. Additionally, the ministry has partnered with the World Health Organization to launch a professional diploma in patient safety, with an initial cohort of 70 doctors enrolled.

Regulatory Oversight and Public Health

Ahmed Taha, head of the General Authority for Healthcare Accreditation and Regulation (GAHAR), reported that his agency has accredited 964 healthcare facilities across 27 governorates. GAHAR has also registered more than 122,000 professionals and reviewed over 600 facility design projects. Its standards and training programs hold international accreditation from the International Society for Quality in Health Care.

Presidential health adviser Mohamed Awad Tag El-Din emphasized that patient safety is inseparable from the safety of healthcare workers. He argued that healthcare quality should be measured by patient outcomes and harm prevention rather than the quantity of available beds.