Since their inception in 2016, the Global Ministerial Summits on Patient Safety have succeeded in raising awareness, as well as creating and sustaining the momentum of the global patient safety movement, as evidenced by the adoption of the WHA resolution (WHA72.6) "Global Action on Patient Safety" in May 2019, which enabled the first-ever World Patient Safety Day in September 2019. One of the key challenges facing patient safety today is to ensure the appropriate and sustainable implementation of suitable concepts and approaches that are crucial to the success of the WHA resolution.
In May 2021, the 74th WHA approved the Decision WHA74(13) to adopt the first ever Global Patient Safety Action Plan 2021–2030 “Towards eliminating avoidable harm in health care” as the global roadmap for patient safety for the next 10 years. This WHA decision also mandates WHO to report back on progress in the implementation of the action plan to the assembly in 2023 and thereafter every two years till 2031.
The disruptions caused by COVID-19 further illustrated the essential and central role of patient safety in any health care delivery system. The Summit will cover patient safety in different technical domains through a broader, public health policy perspective. Emphasis will be placed on patient safety in the context of COVID-19. Successful and sustainable implementation efforts undertaken in different and diverse settings and countries will be highlighted, introducing best practices and reflecting on success stories.
