World Patient Safety Day

Communications / 23 October 2019

Photo: Shutterstock

WHO launches new campaign, urging everyone to speak up for patient as a global health priority.

The first ever World Patient Safety Day took place on 17 September 2019, created by WHO to focus global attention on patient safety and launch a campaign in solidarity with patients.

“No one should be harmed while receiving health care. And yet globally, at least five patients die every minute because of unsafe care,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general. “We need a patient safety culture that promotes partnership with patients, encourages reporting and learning from errors, and creates a blame-free environment where health workers are empowered and trained to reduce errors.”

Around the world, health authorities, pharmacovigilance centres, patients’ rights groups, and many others staged activities and kicked off campaigns to call attention to the human and financial benefits of improving patient safety.

Many cities marked the event by lighting up famous monuments, including Jet d’Eau in Geneva, the pyramids of Cairo, the Kuala Lumpur Tower, The Royal Opera House in Muscat, and the Zakim bridge in Boston.