Experts Advocate for Safer Hospital Designs in Gombe

During the 2026 World Patients Safety Day, held at the Federal Teaching Hospital in Gombe and organized by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in collaboration with the hospital’s Infection Prevention and Control Committee, experts in healthcare architecture and infection prevention called for enhanced hospital designs. The Guest Speaker, Prof. (Arc.) Abubakar-Ibrahim Alkali, discussed how hospital architecture can either mitigate or exacerbate patient harm.

He pointed out that issues such as poor accessibility, confusing layouts, overcrowded waiting areas, and inadequate privacy can lead to avoidable risks for patients. Alkali highlighted that essential services' failures, like electricity and water, could escalate into patient safety incidents.

He also noted that poor spatial relationships between critical areas, such as laboratories and consultation rooms, could delay care and increase stress for vulnerable patients. The event gathered healthcare workers under the theme “Safe Care for Non-Communicable Diseases.”.