Experts in healthcare architecture and infection prevention have called for safer hospital designs, stronger healthcare systems, and improved infrastructure to reduce avoidable harm to patients. The call was made at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Gombe, during the commemoration of the 2026 World Patients Safety Day organised by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare in collaboration with the hospital's Infection Prevention and Control Committee. The event held under the theme: "Safe Care for Non-Communicable Diseases."
Prof. Abubakar-Ibrahim Alkali, Guest Speaker, said hospital architecture could either reduce or create opportunities for patients' harm. He explained that poor accessibility, confusing movement patterns, overcrowded waiting areas, and inadequate privacy could expose patients to avoidable risks. Alkali stressed that if there is no ramp or the lift is not sufficient for a patient who needs assistance, it becomes a problem.
Alkali identified poor acoustic privacy as a potential threat to safe healthcare delivery, particularly during consultations. He pointed out that if consultation spaces have poor acoustic privacy, communication suffers. Background noise can make communication difficult, and comprehension can be significantly affected. He also highlighted poor spatial relationships between laboratories, imaging units, and consultation rooms, which could increase unnecessary movement and delay care.
The expert warned that failure of essential services such as electricity and water could become a patient-safety incident rather than simply an operational inconvenience. Alkali stated that patients' safety should be considered from the design stage of healthcare projects because the physical environment determines the conditions under which care is delivered. He insisted that architecture can either introduce or reduce opportunities for harm.
Alkali identified accessibility and movement, visibility and privacy, spatial relationships, clinical workflow, environmental conditions, infrastructure resilience, and emergency preparedness as key considerations in hospital design. He called for step-free access, appropriate ramps, non-slip flooring, adequate corridor widths, rest points, accessible toilets, and clear wayfinding, particularly for elderly patients and people with mobility limitations.
Alkali urged healthcare planners to incorporate reliable water supply, power, cooling, medical gases, and alternative systems into hospital designs. He advocated the use of solar power, adequate water storage, and other backup systems to minimise disruption when essential services fail. He also urged Nigerian professionals to develop hospital designs suited to local realities rather than simply importing models from other countries.
The professor prioritised durability and maintainability when selecting hospital infrastructure and equipment. He called for hospital designs that accommodate family members who assist patients with care, saying they can become an asset to patient safety when properly accommodated. Alkali concluded that the objective is not necessarily low-cost design but high-value design, achieving the greatest safety benefit from available resources.
Key points
- Experts call for safer hospital designs to reduce avoidable harm to patients.
- Hospital architecture can either reduce or create opportunities for patients' harm.
- Patient-safety principles should be translated into architectural priorities that respond to local realities.
