Number of surgical error, unintended retained roreign body cases in Malaysia still small - Health DG

KUALA LUMPUR, July 3 (Bernama) -- The number of surgical error and unintended retained foreign body cases involving various surgical disciplines in Malaysia is still small, said Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

He said in developed countries, major complications during surgery had been recorded to occur between three and 22 per cent for inpatient surgical procedures with the death rate at 0.4 to 0.8 per cent.

Dr Noor Hisham said this was the result of the proactive efforts carried out by the Health Ministry in improving the safety of patients and avoiding preventable harm in surgery.

"The efforts include by becoming one of the pioneer countries in the implementation of the World Health Organisation Second Global Patient Safety Challenge - Safe Surgery Saves Lives programme since 2009.

"The Health Ministry has also produced its own version of the Safe Surgery Checklist, based on the World Health Organisation's Checklist," he said in a statement issued at the launch of the Second Edition Of Guidelines On Safe Surgery Saves Lives Programme here today.

Dr Noor Hisham said worldwide studies also showed that the implementation of the checklist managed to reduce surgical morbidity and mortality.

In order to ensure its nationwide implementation, he said the programme had also been made one of the 13 Malaysian Patient Safety Goals, with the targets of zero incidences of surgical error and unintended retained foreign body.

-- BERNAMA