Experts within the health sector have called on the government at all levels to place more emphasis on clinical governance in order to boost the growth and effectiveness of Nigeria’s healthcare system. They argued that a large number of hospitals are not providing adequate medical care because they are yet to incorporate clinical governance into their operational frameworks. Dr. Chukwuka Monye, the founder of AGCare Specialist Clinic, led the discussion during the clinic’s opening in Asaba, the capital of Delta State. He said the clinic has addressed the issue of inadequate clinical governance by putting creative models into place, which has made the hospital stand out despite Nigeria’s widespread healthcare issues.
Dr. Monye noted that the main objective is to ascertain that access to high-quality healthcare should not be limited to certain groups of people. He emphasized that this is one of the reasons we started expanding the number of centres we have across the nation in order to support integrated healthcare. In a comparable tone, Dr. Ebomwonyi Osagie, Principal Lead of AGCare, described the system as a framework intended to guarantee high-quality care for each patient, emphasizing that it entails giving each patient the utmost attention from the first point of contact throughout their stay in the hospital.
Issues like limited resources need to be resolved.
According to him, every step is taken to reduce the possibility of drug errors, incorrect diagnoses, and legal problems. Alongside clinical governance, the hospital also places a high priority on community interactions and the quality of patient experiences, as noted by the clinic’s CEO, Dr. Onyi Babatunde, in her remarks. Not just those who are able to visit us will receive the healthcare that we are committed to giving. She said the clinic will occasionally bring its services directly to individuals who are unable to attend, ensuring that those who are able to visit us will also have the chance to receive adequate medical care.
Through a number of frameworks, initiatives, and guidelines, the World Health Organization (WHO) promotes clinical governance in an effort to raise the standard, efficacy, and safety of healthcare provided on a worldwide scale. With the support of the WHO, Nigeria is harmonizing its clinical governance practices into compliance with international standards, guaranteeing the delivery of safe, efficient, and high-quality healthcare. To properly execute and reap the benefits of clinical governance measures sponsored by WHO, issues like staff shortages, infrastructural deficits, and resource limits need to be resolved.
Nigeria lags behind WHO clinical guidelines standards.
When compared to WHO recommendations, there are still huge gaps in the clinical governance structures and procedures that have been established by the country, despite noteworthy efforts. WHO highlights a number of essential elements for successful clinical governance, such as the application of clinical guidelines and evidence-based practices; frequent clinical audits and feedback mechanisms; the use of health information technologies and electronic health record (EHR); integrated service delivery models; continuous quality improvement initiatives; mechanisms for monitoring and enforcing compliance; and accurate and thorough health data collection.
By implementing programs such as the SafeCare standards and accreditation procedures, Nigeria has worked to enhance patient safety. Yet many healthcare facilities still lack adequate advance event reporting systems, and their safety cultures need to be reinforced. When it comes to the widespread and regular implementation of quality improvement initiatives and evidence-based procedures, Nigeria lags behind WHO standards. Although not yet common, the adoption of evidence-based guidelines is growing. Persistent issues with brain drain, workforces well-being, retention, and training, makes it difficult for the country to meet standards for workforce adequacy and development.
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While efforts are being made to rectify these shortcomings, Nigeria’s service delivery still falls short of what the WHO recommends for integrated and equitable treatment. The country’s health information systems also fall short of the recommendation, which makes it more difficult to monitor, assess, and make policies. Nigeria has made some strides in clinical governance, but African nations such as South Africa, Kenya, Rwanda, and Ghana are acknowledged for having better developed and organized systems in place to enhance the quality and safety of healthcare. Nigeria may effectively enhance healthcare delivery by concentrating on key areas and benchmarking against nations with more robust clinical governance systems.