Dr Nima Abid ,WHO representative in Egypt
The event under the slogan "Improving Diagnosis for Patient Safety" aimed to raise awareness about patient safety.
A group of senior officials and health leaders in Egypt, healthcare providers, policymakers, regulatory bodies, and representatives of international organizations attended the conference.
Despite modern technological techniques and artificial intelligence, practical experiences and medical expertise indicate the critical importance of direct clinical examination and the physician's knowledge of the medical history as the base for a correct diagnosis, Presidential Advisor for Health and Prevention Affairs Professor Mohamed Awad Tag El-Din stressed.
During the conference, WHO Representative in Egypt Dr. Nima Saeed Abid stressed the importance of concerted efforts between all concerned parties to achieve diagnostic safety, praising the Egyptian efforts to improve the quality of medical diagnoses.
He also called for legal frameworks and guidelines that ensure accurate and safe diagnostic practices.
“Having the standards of the General Authority for Health Accreditation and Supervision is very important to ensure the quality of diagnosis, in addition to issuing clinical guidelines by the Egyptian Health Council, which is a very important step to ensure patient safety. The draft law on medical liability, which is expected to be issued soon, will also improve patient safety,” Dr. Abid added.
According to the latest studies and statistics, 30 percent of initial diagnoses depend on clinical skill in examining the patient, and advanced clinical examination coupled with the use of advanced diagnostic technology contribute together to reducing medical errors by 20-30 percent, Chairman of GAHAR Ahmed Taha noted during his opening speech.
Meanwhile, Abdel-Ghaffar emphasized that misdiagnosis constitutes a large percentage of preventable damages, and therefore improving diagnosis is a top priority to improve the healthcare quality.
He added that the Ministry of Health and Population adopted future strategies that rely on advanced technologies, artificial intelligence, and data analysis, which contribute to improving diagnosis and providing specialized care for each patient.
These include the project to automate birth and death registration, the kidney dialysis system, and disease centres.
The number of health facilities recently accredited by Egypt Healthcare Authority has reached 271, Chairman of the Authority Ahmed El-Sobky stressed.
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