Change Day pledges make patients happy

AMMAN — Wednesday was a happy day for Rayyan, a patient at the University of Jordan Hospital at (UJH), thanks to the Change Day initiative.

“I enjoyed singing and dancing with the Mickey Mouse character,” the six-year-old told The Jordan Times on Wednesday while getting his name painted on his wrist.

Rayyan, who is being treated for intense electrical activity in the brain, and other young patients were treated to a fun-filled activity organised by nurses in the paediatrics section as part of their pledges. 

Under the initiative, over 10,000 individuals in the healthcare sector pledged to provide improved services to patients at several hospitals and healthcare centres across the Kingdom.

Implemented by the Health Care Accreditation Council (HCAC), under the patronage of HRH Princess Muna, the initiative encourages personal commitments of their own choice from healthcare  service providers without incurring extra costs or the need for administrative approval, HCAC CEO Salma Jaouni told The Jordan Times in a recent interview.

“The initiative is a wake-up call for service providers, who sometimes become consumed in the day-to-day requirements of their jobs and forget to think of how they can do them better,” Jaouni said, adding that the “satisfactory return” encourages them to think of providing outstanding services all the time. 

Princess Muna herself personally pledged to further support nursing and healthcare, while Health Minister Ali Hiasat pledged to meet with directors of hospitals and health departments to discuss elevating the level of health services.  

UJH General Director Ahmad Tamimi told The Jordan Times that he pledged to meet with directors of medical and technical departments to discuss means of improving the hospital’s services and urge employees to embrace the concept of Change Day and apply it every day. 

Meanwhile, King Hussein Cancer Centre Director General Asem Mansour pledged to allocate one day a week to visit the centre’s patients and listen to their feedback in order to improve the quality of services, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Petra quoted Mafraq Hospital Director Esmeir Mashaqbeh as saying that hospital staff provided patients with extra information on their medication, Petra reported.  

The Change Day initiative was held in cooperation with Al Hikma Pharmaceuticals.