Event marks World Patient Safety Day | The Express Tribune

Islamabad:

The World Health Organization (WHO) in collaboration with COMSTECH celebrated the “World Patient Safety Day” under the theme “Medicine without Harm” at COMSTECH on Friday.

World Patient Safety Day is observed every year on 17 September to raise awareness about the prevention, risk reduction, omissions and deficiencies of errors and harm to patients during the delivery of health care and treatment.

Dr Palitha Mahipala, WHO Representative in Pakistan, said WHO’s vision was to ensure that every patient receives safe and dignified care, every time, everywhere. About 134 million adverse events occur in hospitals due to unsafe health care practices, he said. Of which, an estimated 2.6 million patients die annually.

The societal cost of patient harm is estimated at $1 to $2 trillion annually,” he said, adding that the theme for this year’s commemoration was “Medication Safety” which addresses a critical component of safety in healthcare.

Dr. Mahipala said that unsafe medication practices and errors are the leading cause of injury and avoidable harm in healthcare systems worldwide.

Published in The Express Tribune on September 17.^Th2022.