FG Launches Nat’l Task Force to Combat Medical Errors, Boost Patient Safety

By Tgnews Reporter

The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has taken a decisive step to strengthen Nigeria’s healthcare system with the establishment of the National Task Force on Clinical Governance and Patient Safety.

Chaired by Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, with Minister of State Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako serving as alternate chair, the task force is a flagship initiative under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda aimed at delivering safer, higher-quality, and more accountable health services nationwide.

The move comes amid growing public concern over preventable medical errors, diagnostic mistakes, and lapses in care standards across public and private facilities.

Rather than focusing on blame, the task force adopts a forward-looking approach centered on learning, continuous improvement, capacity development, and systemic change to deliver better outcomes for patients and greater trust in the health system.

Prof. Pate described the initiative as a deliberate shift toward embedding quality and safety as core pillars of healthcare delivery.

The task force will conduct a comprehensive national assessment of existing clinical governance and patient safety practices, develop standardized national frameworks, policies and guidelines, strengthen mechanisms for reporting and learning from adverse events, promote evidence-based standards and ethical practice, build capacity among health workers and facility managers in risk management and patient safety, enhance patient and community involvement through improved feedback and complaint systems, and establish clear national performance indicators while fostering collaboration across federal, state, regulatory, professional and private-sector stakeholders.

The multi-disciplinary composition of the task force brings together senior ministry officials, heads of major regulatory bodies including the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, Pharmacy Council of Nigeria, and Nursing and Midwifery Council, leaders of professional associations such as the Nigerian Medical Association, academic experts, international partners, and representatives from civil society.

This broad representation is intended to ensure ownership, relevance and effective implementation across all levels of the health system.

The initiative aligns Nigeria with global best practices championed by the World Health Organization, World Bank, OECD and The Lancet Global Health Commission, which emphasize high-quality, people-centered care as essential for achieving Universal Health Coverage.

It directly supports SDG 3.8 on access to quality essential health services and forms a critical component of the Nigeria Health Sector Renewal Investment Initiative by driving focused learning, workforce development and system-wide performance improvement.

Health sector observers view the launch as a timely and proactive response to persistent challenges that have undermined public confidence in healthcare delivery.

With the task force now operational, expectations are high that tangible progress will be made toward reducing preventable harm, improving patient experience, and positioning Nigeria’s health system to deliver safer and more reliable care for every citizen.