Chubut expands quality management network in public health system

The Chubut provincial government is advancing the implementation of a quality management system within its public health sector. As part of this strategy, the Provincial Directorate of Environmental Health (UNA Salud) has established a new Quality Committee. This interdisciplinary group focuses on improving work procedures and continuous improvement through process analysis, specifically addressing diseases linked to environmental factors.

Currently, ten hospitals in the province have established Quality and Patient Safety Committees. These include the Regional and Alvear hospitals in Comodoro Rivadavia, as well as facilities in Trelew, Puerto Madryn, Esquel, Rawson, and El Maitén, along with rural hospitals in Gaiman, Dolavon, and Gastre.

The initiative, led by the provincial Health Secretariat, aims to extend quality and safety networks from the central level to various provincial directorates. Previously, quality management efforts were primarily concentrated in the Environmental Health Laboratory under ISO/IEC 17025 standards, but the new committee seeks to incorporate these procedures into departments such as Basic Sanitation.