World Patient Safety Day

‘ Safe care for noncommunicable diseases ’ has been selected the theme for World Patient Safety Day 2026 . Under the slogan ‘Safe care for life!’, the campaign will highlight the importance of preventing harm across the continuum of NCD care and in preserving quality of life. In September 17th, World Patient Safety Day creates global momentum to reduce avoidable harm in health care. This year’s priority theme is safe care for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), the world-leading cause of premature, avoidable death. A dedicated workshop with people living with NCDs and healthcare professionals organized by the World Health Organization (WHO) helped identify key messages for the global campaign. Held in early March 2026, the dedicated workshop hosted twelve lived experience advocates and health workforce specialists along with WHO teams on Patient Safety, NCD management, at the Global Coordination Mechanism on NCDs (GCM/NCD). The virtual session offered a forum to discuss patient safety ch...

The 2026 edition of World Patient Safety Day , held on 17 September 2026, is dedicated to safe care for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), the leading cause of death globally and a major health concern affecting billions of people around the world. Under the slogan ‘ Safe care for life! ’, the dedicated WHO campaign calls for multisectoral and multistakeholder action to ensure that no one is harmed while receiving care for NCDs .

Non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases , cancers , diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases , can affect people of all ages and often require long-term care throughout life. People living with NCDs are thus at increased or repeated risk of being harmed in the course of receiving care.

The dedicated World Patient Safety Day campaign is centered around four key messages:  People living with NCDs are at increased risk of harm in health care, Risks must be addressed across the continuum of care and in daily life, Strong, integrated health systems and a supported health workforce are essential for safe care, People living with NCDs must be partners in safe care,

  Quality improvement and patient safety (QUIPS) Office. Philippine General Hospital

  To strengthen and advance patient safety for people living with NCDs, it is fundamental to recognize lived experience as a form of expertise and see people as active partners in safe care rather than passive patients. A people-centred approach to safe care focuses on a person’s comprehensive wellbeing rather than on traditional disease management alone. This requires medical models and treatment plans that are tailored to the realities of people’s lives, including their living conditions, work contexts, and mental health needs. Meaningful engagement and ownership of care among people with lived experience can also lead to improved trust in healthcare providers and a better understanding of potential risks, and safer and more effective self-management.

The theme of World Patient Safety Day 2026 is "Safe care for noncommunicable diseases". For people living with long-term conditions, patient safety extends beyond hospitals and health facilities into daily life. In asthma care, this includes access to effective treatment, correct use of inhalers, regular review of symptoms and support when symptoms worsen. Asthma affected an estimated 363 million people in 2023 and caused 442 000 deaths . Most asthma-related deaths occur in low- and lower-middle-income countries, where under-diagnosis and under-treatment remain common. Effective treatments exist, but access remains a major challenge. WHO is developing updated guidance on asthma for primary care , to be published in early 2027. A recent Bulletin of the World Health Organization editorial, WHO guidance for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: why it matters , highlights the need to close the gap between evidence-based interventions and their implementation in r...

In March 2026, the Global Coordination Mechanism on NCDs (GCM/NCD) supported a consultation workshop that brought together its network of lived experience experts, healthcare managers and specialists, and WHO teams to provide insights on the campaign messages and the intersection between patient safety and NCD management , as well as to discuss patient safety challenges unique to people living with and affected by NCDs and their communities .

  Safe care for life!  - POSTER I - Know your condition and safety risks associated with your care. - POSTER II - Empower communities to navigate care safely. Mobilize action for safecare for non-communicable diseases

Illuminate your building, workplace or community space. Show yoir support on september 17th, 2026. Bring people together to talk about patient safety and what needs to change. Hear directly from patients, health professionals and health leaders working towards the health systems