Patient Solidarity Day 2018: Action to ensure safe medication and health care for all

6 December 2018 – The Eastern Mediterranean Region joins the world in marking Patient Solidarity Day on 7 December 2018. This year’s Patient Solidarity Day focuses on Safe Medication and Health Care for All. Unsafe medication practices and medication errors are a leading cause of avoidable harm in health care systems globally. The Eastern Mediterranean Region is no exception. Worldwide, the cost associated with medication errors has been estimated at US$ 42 billion annually – almost 1% of total global health expenditure. This is a waste of valuable resources. The money could be saved by implementing achievable, yet very important measures to address common problems and errors patients face in seeking and receiving health care services. Errors in the process of medication – from prescribing and dispensing to administering, monitoring and use – result in severe avoidable harm. The World Health Organization (WHO) launched its third WHO Global Patient Safety Challenge; “Medication Without Harm”, in March 2017 with the aim of halving severe avoidable medication-related harm globally within five years through improvements at each stage of the medication process. On the occasion of the Patient Solidarity Day, Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, reiterated WHO’s support for this important event and the promotion of patient-centred, quality, safe health care in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. “To radically improve health o...
Source: WHO EMRO News - Category: Middle East Health Source Type: news