The World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Director for Africa, Dr Mohamed Janabi, has called on governments, health workers, partners, patients and families to make patient safety an integral part of care for people living with noncommunicable diseases (NCDs).
Janabi made the call in his message to mark the 2026 World Patient Safety Day, themed “Safe care for noncommunicable diseases”, with the slogan “Safe care for life!”
He said people living with diabetes, cancer, heart disease and chronic respiratory conditions often require years of consultations, tests, medicines, referrals and treatment, exposing them to risks of avoidable harm at different stages of care.
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According to him, NCDs caused at least 43 million deaths globally in 2021, while in the WHO African Region, they accounted for 37 per cent of all deaths in 2019, up from 24 per cent in 2000.
He noted that nearly two-thirds of NCD deaths in the region are premature, compared with 41.7 per cent globally, making the growing burden of NCDs a major public health concern.
Risks
The WHO Regional Director identified delayed or missed diagnoses, medication errors, adverse drug interactions, weak follow-up and poor communication during referrals as some of the risks confronting patients with NCDs.
He stressed that expanding access to NCD services must go hand in hand with improving their safety and quality, particularly through stronger primary health care systems that can provide continuity, early identification of health problems and coordination across different levels of care.
Janabi also urged countries to strengthen systems for reporting and learning from harm, while investing in health worker training, supportive supervision and the safe use of medicines and technologies.
He said health workers should follow evidence-based protocols and communicate openly, while patients and families should be encouraged to ask questions and raise concerns whenever aspects of their care are unclear.
He said WHO would continue supporting countries in the African Region to strengthen primary health care and improve the quality and safety of NCD services.
“Every person should be protected from avoidable harm throughout their health journey,” he stated.
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 Regional Director for Africa, Dr Mohamed Janabi, has called on governments, health workers,parthners....){kind=link}