BAHRAIN’S public hospitals recorded zero medical errors last year, while such incidents in private healthcare institutions also witnessed a significant drop, revealed Health Minister Dr Jalila Al Sayyed.
Highlighting a notable improvement in patient safety and clinical standards within the government-run healthcare system, she, however, pointed out that dentistry remained the most error-prone field.
“According to data from the National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA), there were zero cases of medical errors recorded in 2024 across all public hospitals, including Salmaniya Medical Complex, and primary health centres,” the minister said in writing to the Shura Council.
“This marks a sharp decline from 2023, when seven medical errors were documented in public hospitals. Notably, no errors were recorded in primary healthcare centres for both 2023 and 2024, underscoring the reliability of frontline medical services in the kingdom.”
Dr Al Sayyed stressed that the public sector’s performance in reducing medical errors is part of a broader effort to elevate standards of care through clinical governance, continuous professional development and stringent oversight mechanisms.
“These numbers reflect the effective policies and systems in place, including enhanced training programmes, digital patient safety tools, and real-time incident reporting frameworks within the Health Ministry,” she explained.
The minister acknowledged, however, that due to the relatively low number of recorded incidents, it remains difficult to assess which specific specialties might be more prone to errors in the public system.
“While the public sector demonstrated full compliance with safety protocols, the private sector has also showed signs of progress.
“The number of reported medical errors across private healthcare institutions declined from 17 in 2023 to 12 in 2024 – a 29.4pc reduction.
“Specifically, private hospitals reported four medical errors in 2023 and only one in 2024.”
She explained that these errors spanned five medical specialties: emergency medicine, urology surgery, nephrology, family/general medicine and dentistry.
“The bulk of the remaining incidents occurred in private clinics and medical centres, which recorded 13 errors in 2023 and 11 in 2024,” said Dr Al Sayyed.
“Dentistry stood out as the most error-prone field in the private sector, accounting for 11 of the 13 incidents in 2023 and five of the 11 in 2024.
“The data clearly shows that dental practices within the private sector are disproportionately responsible for reported errors.
“This highlights the need for enhanced regulatory scrutiny and professional accountability in this area,” noted Dr Al Sayyed.
The minister, who was responding to a question by Shura Council member Dr Ibtisam Al Dallal on medical errors, affirmed that the NHRA continues to monitor, investigate and address all reported medical errors.
“Each case undergoes thorough evaluation and disciplinary action is taken where malpractice is confirmed.
“Furthermore, healthcare institutions found to have recurring issues are subject to audits and mandatory corrective action plans.
“Patient safety is at the core of our national health strategy, and we will continue working with both public and private providers to reduce risk, enhance transparency and maintain public trust.”
Dr Al Sayyed said the ministry’s commitment comes amid growing global attention to clinical safety and malpractice prevention.
“Bahrain has made significant investments in electronic health records, licensing reforms and quality assurance standards in recent years – aligning with World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines on patient safety,” she said.
“The decline in medical errors is expected to strengthen Bahrain’s position in regional health quality indices bolstering public confidence in both sectors.”
mohammed@gdnmedia.bh
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