New Delhi, May 18, 2009: Escorts Heart Institute and Research Centre Ltd. (EHIRCL), amongst the world’s largest stand alone cardiac institutions, observed a week long ‘Patient Safety Awareness Week’ starting May 18, 2009. The inauguration ceremony was attended by Chairman Cardiac Sciences, Dr. Ashok Seth and President Medical Strategy and Quality, Dr. Narottam Puri. A proactive initiative, ‘Patient Safety Week’ will help sensitize patients and healthcare providers to reduce the risk of medical error and reflect good practices by following the International Patient Safety Goals set by Joint Commission International (JCI), world leader in health care quality and patient safety. JCI International safety goals - identify patient correctly, improve effective communication, improve the safety of high-alert medications, eliminate wrong-site, wrong patient, wrong procedure surgery, reduce the risk of health care, aim at reducing any chance of incorrect surgery. During this Patient Safety Week held at Escorts Heart Institute, patients, their families and doctors will join hands to reinforce these international patient safety goals through skits, games and various interactive sessions. Speaking at the occasion, Dr. Ashok Seth, Chairman – Cardiac Sciences, Escorts Heart Institute and Research Centre Ltd. said, “Awareness about patient safety goals is growing across the globe, as lack of it affects millions of people worldwide and complicates the delivery of patient care.” He added “As a leading super specialty cardiac Institution in India, it is our endeavor to continuously raise the quality standards of services provided. ‘Patient Safety Week’ is a step towards empowering patients on how to become involved in their own health care. At the same time it helps the healthcare community to build partnerships with the patient community. Escorts Heart Institute has always been the hallmark of medical quality and expertise in cardiac care. Over the years, EHIRCL has gone through a transition in terms of increased management efficiencies, introduction of enhanced patient care systems and a renewed focus by the new management. Escorts Heart Institute was the first hospital in the North India to receive the ISO 9001-2000 status. The hospital has also received the NABH (National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers) accreditation, the highest national recognition for quality patient care and safety. The holding of Patient Safety Week reaffirms our ability to deliver world-class integrated healthcare services and keeping our patients safe at all times”.