Momentum on Global Action for Patient safety continues to build

We at IAPO are extremely delighted that the 144th Session of the WHO Executive Board (EB), deliberated on the agenda item ‘Global Action on Patient Safety’ and adopted the Executive Board Resolution ‘Global Action on Patient Safety’ on 31 January 2019 including the establishment of an annual World Patient Safety Day on 17th September. The EB has recommended this resolution for adoption at the World Health Assembly in May 2019 a step that marks the achievement of a major milestone in the global patient safety movement.

This outcome is a clear result of a great deal of hard work by various health partners over a long period of time as a response to the urgent need of tackling patient safety issues. The UK and German governments initiated a series of Global Ministerial Summits on Patient Safety and successfully hosted the first two Summits in London (2016) and Bonn (2017) in order to inform world leaders about the importance of addressing the issue of patient safety and galvanize action in this area. 

The third Summit hosted by the Japanese Government in Tokyo (2018) further led to the announcement of the “Tokyo Declaration on Patient Safety” an outcome of 20 years of joint effort in tackling patient safety issues and three consecutive Global Ministerial Summits on Patient Safety.

Additionally, the World Health Assembly side event ‘Global action on patient safety for achieving effective Universal Health Coverage’ in May 2018, a proposal by the Governments of 34 Member States in September 2018 and several other major international patient safety initiatives have also significantly taken the movement forward.

Moving forward, the fourth Global Ministerial Summit will be held on 2 – 3 March 2019 in Saudi Arabia under the theme ‘Universal Health Coverage & Patient Safety’. During this event, efforts will be put together to define strategies that will support the integration of patient safety as an essential element in achieving universal health coverage.

We are extremely excited about these developments and look forward to continuing to champion for safe medication and safe healthcare moving forward!

Links related to the 144th Executive Board Session 

1. Global Action on Patient Safety: Report by the Director-General
2. Draft resolution: Global Action on Patient Safety
3. Statements submitted by Member States and other participants of the 144th Session of the Executive Board (under Item 6.6)
4. Statement of Non-State Actors on ‘Global Action on Patient Safety’ (under item  6.6.1)

EB Session Recordings (Video)

31.01.19 between 18:00-20:30 (Patient Safety precisely at 1:07:25 – 2:06:30)

01.02.19 between 11:30-12:30 (Patient Safety precisely at 30:40- 34:20)

Photo credit: World Health Organization