KOTA KINABALU: Patients with chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and heart and kidney conditions need safer, continuous care to prevent avoidable harm, Sabah Health director Datuk Dr William Gotulis said.
He said patient safety risks could arise at every stage of treatment, from screening and diagnosis to medication, monitoring, referrals and follow-up, making coordination across healthcare services crucial.
“Patient safety should not end when someone walks out of a hospital or clinic,” he said in his speech at the 2026 World Patient Safety Day celebration in Sabah at Ujana Rimba Tropika here yesterday.
Dr William said Sabah’s geographical challenges and access to healthcare services made continuity of care particularly important, with clear communication between facilities, accurate patient information and well-understood follow-up plans helping to reduce risks.
This year’s theme, “Safe Care for Non-communicable Diseases”, highlights the need to protect patients receiving long-term treatment for non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which require regular monitoring and multidisciplinary care.
He said patient safety was a shared responsibility involving healthcare professionals, patients, families, communities and other stakeholders, rather than the Health Ministry alone.
Patients and their families should be encouraged to ask questions, understand treatment plans, use medicines correctly and recognise warning signs that require medical attention, he added.
“Every reported incident is an opportunity to understand weaknesses in the system, improve practices and prevent the same incident from happening again,” he said.
Dr William also called for healthcare organisations to foster a culture in which staff felt safe reporting incidents and risks, allowing lessons to be learnt without focusing solely on assigning blame.
He said the goal should be to move beyond responding to incidents towards proactively preventing avoidable harm.
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