Petition for Global Quality
Quality has evolved from a method of evaluation and interpretation to a method of improvement and empowerment. However, while the developed countries made the transition 25 years ago, there has been an unprecedented delay in the spread to developing countries, where they matter most. Initiatives to improve patient safety have not takeoff as they require a foundation of quality and improvement. Even the few that have embraced quality are unlikely to sustain or become inclusive. We request you to lend your voice to this urgent and common cause.
Your signature will support:
1. The explicit recognition of quality as the instrument to achieve the Millenium Development Goals by 2015.
2. All government and externally funded healthcare initiatives in developing countries would prioritize quality in their strategies.
3. Will provide the language for non governmental organizations and media to campaign for quality as a fundamental right.
4. Appropriate and targeted funding towards capacity building for quality would allow recognition of quality as a sustainable public good.
5. Creation of academic programs and career structures for healthcare quality professionals would enhance their prestige as a public service.
Leaders from both developed and developing countries met at the Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center, Italy in 2008 [1] and agreed to rally for healthcare quality as World Health Assembly resolution before 2011. It is now time for us at the frontline to take it forward . Quality Delayed is Quality denied!
Reference:
1. Sheila Leatherman, Timothy Ferris, Donald Berwick , Francis Omaswa and Nigel Crisp. The role of quality improvement in strengthening healthcare systems in developing countries. International Journal for Quality in Health Care. June 12 ,2010.
