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Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

5 patients die every minute of unsafe patient care: WHO

Rohit Shishodia
It is not only diseases that kill patients, but unsafe patient care in hospitals is also responsible for thousands of deaths.

The World Health Organization has revealed that five patients die every minute due to unsafe patient care across the globe. Low-and middle-income countries alone account for 2.6 million deaths due to unsafe healthcare worldwide. Most of these deaths are avoidable.

On the eve of World Patient Safety Day that is observed on September 17, 2019, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, WHO, said that no one should be harmed while receiving health care. And yet globally, at least 5 patients die every minute because of unsafe care, he added.

Dr Tedros pointed out that there is need for a patient safety culture that promotes partnership with patients and encourages reporting and learning from mistakes. “This creates a blame-free environment where health workers are empowered and trained to reduce errors,” added Dr Tedros.

According to WHO estimates, four out of every ten patients are harmed during primary and ambulatory health care. The WHO explained that the most detrimental mistakes are related to diagnosis, prescription and the use of medicines. Medication errors alone cost an estimated US$ 42 billion annually.

The UN agency said that unsafe surgical care procedures cause complications in up to 25% of patients resulting in one million deaths during or immediately after surgery annually.

The WHO has pointed out that patient harm in health care is unacceptable. The agency has called for urgent action by countries and partners around the world to reduce patient harm in health care. Patient safety and quality of care are essential for delivering effective health services and achieving universal health coverage.


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