World Patient Safety Day 2026 was observed at Agartala Government Medical College (AGMC) and GBP Hospital on Thursday with an emphasis on improving the quality of healthcare services and ensuring comprehensive patient safety.
The programme was organized at Lecture Hall-2 of the Academic Building on the initiative of the Medical Superintendent and Heads of Departments of GBP Hospital.
Delivering the welcome address, Dr Samarpita Dutta highlighted the importance of proper patient identification, accurate identification of patient samples, medication safety and surgical safety.
Dr Pradip Bhowmik, HOD of the Department of Medicine, said patient safety is a crucial aspect of healthcare and must be given the highest priority. He noted that even routine mistakes by healthcare workers can lead to problems for patients. Therefore, correctly recording and identifying a patient’s name is extremely important. He also stressed that disease names must be accurately documented to prevent errors within the healthcare system.
Dr Bhowmik further emphasized the need for proper care while discharging patients and called for healthcare professionals to work collectively rather than blaming one another when problems arise in the delivery of healthcare services.
Medical Superintendent and HOD of GBP Hospital, Dr Bidhan Goswami, stressed the need for healthcare professionals to change their mindset and move away from rigid or inflexible approaches. He said teamwork should be at the core of patient care. He also emphasized the need for proper monitoring of patients in intensive care units and ensuring timely treatment whenever required.
AGMC Principal Professor (Dr) Tapan Majumdar stressed the importance of following standard guidelines for patient safety. He also called for effective communication between healthcare providers and patients to prevent communication gaps.
Dr Majumdar further said there is a need to change practices and a culture that may directly or indirectly cause harm to patients.
Following the programme, Dr Bishnu Goswami conducted a training session for doctors and nursing officers on patient safety.
Heads of various departments, senior resident officers, junior resident medical officers, RMO, postgraduate doctors, nursing superintendent, nursing officers and paramedical staff attended the programme.
The programme concluded with a vote of thanks delivered by Deputy Medical Superintendent Dr Bishnu Goswami, who urged all healthcare professionals to promote a culture of providing treatment with patient safety as the highest priority.