Ensuring Quality Health Care: A Global Call to Action by WHO (Full Transcript)

Speaker 1: Everyone needs access to health care, but just because a patient has been treated, it doesn't mean their condition will improve. In fact, when care is not of sufficient quality, treatments might not work or could even cause harm. Around the world, more deaths are due to poor quality care than lack of access to health services. Fifteen percent of deaths in low- and middle-income countries are caused by poor quality care, and in high-income countries, one in ten patients are harmed while receiving hospital care. The need for action is clear. To make sure that health services provide quality care that improves people's health, care should be effective, so you're accurately diagnosed and receive treatment that works, safe, so the health care that you receive doesn't harm you, people-centered, so decisions made about your care are tailored to your needs and you're treated with compassion, and timely, so you receive care when you need it. It should also be equitable, so all people receive the health care they need, integrated, so different health workers and facilities all work together to improve your care, and efficient, so available resources are used more effectively to improve your health and avoid waste. WHO is calling on countries to take action on quality of care and is working with them to develop policies and plans so that all patients are cared for in environments that have the right infrastructure and health workers are well-trained and given the time, resources, and support to provide quality care. We're encouraging governments and health organizations to listen to the people and communities they serve, find new ways of relating and working together, and learn from failures and successes. WHO is also supporting countries to take early action on critical areas like maternal and child health, patient safety, infection prevention and control, and water, sanitation, and hygiene. While action on quality is needed around the world, we also have a particular focus on fragile and conflict-affected settings where the need for health care improvement is often urgent. We are working with partners towards the Sustainable Development Goals, which stress that quality is a key element of universal health coverage. In the words of the WHO Director General, quality is not a given. It takes vision, planning, investments, compassion, meticulous execution, and rigorous monitoring from the national level to the smallest, remotest clinic.