WHO events addressing public health priorities: Improving the quality of care and patient safety in the Eastern Mediterranean Region

Health care quality in the EMR: current situation: People attending health care facilities, whether in primary care or hospital, deserve to receive quality health care. Fundamental to health care quality is patient safety. No patient should be at risk of being harmed by the very process of health care. Member States of the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) have expressed high commitment to improving quality of care. In 2009 they endorsed a Regional Committee resolution EM/RC56/R.6 on improving hospital performance in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) that recalled resolution EM/RC50/R.9 in 2003, specifically those aspects relating to accreditation of hospitals, and requested WHO to provide technical support and guidance to Member States to improve hospital performance through all available tools, including the WHO framework of management and leadership, and develop a strategic plan for strengthening hospital service management.