Health ministry calls for ‘no blame’ patient safety culture

The health ministry has called for a stronger culture of learning and transparency in Namibia’s healthcare system, urging health workers to report mistakes and near misses without fear of punishment.

Deputy executive director in the ministry, Taïmi Amaambo, made the call on Thursday during the World Patient Safety Day commemoration at Windhoek Central Hospital, saying patient safety must be treated as a daily responsibility rather than an annual observance.

Amaambo said the ministry should embrace a 'No Name, No Blame, No Shame' approach to create a non-punitive environment where healthcare workers can report incidents honestly, allowing the system to learn from mistakes and prevent future harm.

“When something goes wrong, we must ask not only ‘Who is responsible?’ but also ‘What happened? Why did it happen? What can we learn, and what must we change?’” she said.

She said patient safety extends beyond avoiding mistakes and requires patients to receive safe, effective, timely, equitable, respectful and patient-centred care.

Amaambo challenged healthcare facilities to assess whether they are reporting incidents, learning from near misses, responding to patient concerns, conducting audits and acting on their findings, using real-time data and identifying risks before they result in harm.

This year’s World Patient Safety Day theme is 'Safe Care for Non-communicable Diseases', highlighting the need to strengthen patient safety in the prevention, diagnosis and management of conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases.

According to Amaambo, more than 50% of deaths in Namibia are estimated to be caused by non-communicable diseases (NCDs), with cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, cancers and chronic obstructive airway diseases among the most common NCDs in the country.

She warned that failures can have serious consequences, including missed diagnoses, medication errors, delayed referrals and missed follow-ups.

“Safe NCD care must therefore cover the entire patient journey from prevention and screening to diagnosis, treatment, monitoring, referral, follow-up and self-management,” she said.

Shared responsibility

Amaambo said healthcare workers must communicate effectively, administer medication safely, maintain infection-prevention standards, document accurately, recognise deterioration early, conduct proper handovers, ensure safe referrals and protect patient confidentiality.

She said real-time information could help healthcare facilities identify abnormal results, track referrals, monitor medication safety, report incidents and near misses, strengthen continuity of care and respond to risks before they become serious harm.

However, Amaambo stressed that technology should strengthen rather than replace human judgement and compassion.

She reminded patients that they also have a role to play by knowing their health status, understanding their diagnoses and medication, attending follow-up appointments, seeking care early and speaking up when something does not seem right.

She added that while policies provide direction, standards offer guidance, technology provides tools and strategic plans provide a roadmap, “it is our humanity that turns all of these into safe care.”

Dr Senorita Polster, the acting chief medical officer for Windhoek Central Hospital, urged healthcare workers to educate patients and their families about their health and treatment, while encouraging them to speak up when they have concerns about patient safety.

She also encouraged patients to take an active role in their own care by knowing the names and purposes of their medicines and informing healthcare workers about allergies or existing health conditions. Patients should not be afraid to ask questions and seek clarification when they do not understand something.

“Your knowledge, vigilance and compassion protect patients every day,” Polster said, emphasising the shared responsibility for ensuring safe care for non-communicable diseases.