Dear HIFA colleagues,
Below is the text from the WHO campaign page: https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-patient-safety-day/2026
'The 2026 edition of World Patient Safety Day focuses on addressing one of the major health concerns affecting billions of people and accounting for 74% of deaths worldwide, namely noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Noncommunicable diseases are long-term conditions, such as cardiovascular diseases, cancers, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases, that can affect people of all ages and often require ongoing care throughout life. Addressing NCDs is a global priority, reflected in the United Nations political declaration on NCDs and mental health, which calls for strengthened prevention and long-term management of NCDs. Achieving these commitments requires access to safe and quality care.
'Globally, 1 in 10 patients is harmed during health care, with around half of this harm being considered preventable. People living with NCDs are particularly vulnerable to harm due to the long-term nature of their conditions, ongoing treatment needs and frequent interactions with health systems. This repeated exposure increases the likelihood of harm over time. With some conditions, such as cancer, up to 1 in 3 patients experience adverse events during care. Many people also live with multiple chronic conditions, further increasing the risk of harm.
'World Patient Safety Day 2026 is, therefore, focusing on safe care for noncommunicable diseases, under the slogan ‘Safe care for life!’. It calls for multisectoral and multi-stakeholder action to ensure that no one is harmed while receiving care for NCDs.'
We learned today that WHO is proposing WORLD PATIENT SAFETY DAY GOALS 2026 relating to NCDs.
https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-patient-safety-day/2026/goals
'On the occasion of World Patient Safety Day 2026, with the theme "Safe care for noncommunicable diseases", WHO is proposing a set of Goals to facilitate action for improvement at the point of care. These goals highlight priority areas where health facilities, organizations, health care leaders, managers and health practitioners can make tangible changes to reduce avoidable harm and improve safety for people living with noncommunicable diseases..
The World Patient Safety Day 2026 Goals are:
Goal 1: Partner with people with lived experience and civil society
Goal 2: Strengthen prevention and risk assessment
Goal 3: Provide early detection, accurate diagnosis and integrated management
Goal 4: Secure access and safe use of medicines and medical devices
Goal 5: Strengthen care coordination, continuity and transitions of care
'If you are a health practitioner, health care facility manager, patient safety or quality professional, or otherwise involved in the design and delivery of NCD care, sign up to the Goals and help turn awareness into action for safer NCD care.'
I have signed up on behalf of Global Healthcare Information Network (the non-profit that administers HIFA)
You can sign up here: https://extranet.who.int/dataformv6/index.php/833423?lang=en
WHO also provides a document that describes the goals in more detail:
https://iris.who.int/server/api/core/bitstreams/42b8b81f-2f55-4e58-8953-...
For example, on Goal 4:
'Many people living with NCDs need long-term treatment, often involving multiple medicines and medical devices in health care settings as well as at home. This increases exposure to medicationand device-related risks. Medication-related harm may result from stockouts and interruptions in treatment, medication errors, polypharmacy, inappropriate prescribing or use, inadequate monitoring and poor communication. Harm associated with medical devices may result from inappropriate selection, unsafe operation, inadequate maintenance, device malfunction or insufficient user training. Reducing medication- and device-related harm calls for coordinated action by health care providers, pharmacists, biomedical engineers, health care facility managers, regulators, supply chain stakeholders, people living with NCDs and their caregivers. This includes ensuring equitable access to appropriate, quality-assured and affordable medicines and medical devices, together with systems that support their safe prescribing, dispensing, administration and use, and the safe selection, operation, maintenance and monitoring of medical devices. The third WHO Global Patient Safety Challenge, entitled “Medication Without Harm”, calls for action across the medication-use process, with particular attention to polypharmacy, transitions of care and highrisk situations.'
We welcome your comments on the World Patient Safety Day 2026 Goals.
Best wishes, Neil
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org