P.S.D Theme Focused on Ensuring Every Newborn and Child Receives Safe Care

New York,USA

On September 17, the World Health Organization (WHO) is observing its annual World Patient Safety Day, this year focusing on the critical theme of “Safe care for every newborn and every child” with the empowering slogan, “Patient safety from the start!”. This initiative highlights the unique vulnerabilities faced by children from birth to age nine in healthcare settings and calls for global action to prevent avoidable harm.

The campaign underscores that children are not merely “small adults” and require specialized care tailored to their age, weight, developmental stage, and specific medical needs. A single safety incident can have life-long consequences, making the need for robust patient safety systems paramount. The WHO notes that common causes of harm in this age group include medication and diagnostic errors, healthcare-associated infections, and challenges with medical equipment.

To address these challenges, the WHO is mobilizing governments, healthcare organizations, and civil society to implement sustainable strategies for safer care. The campaign’s objectives include:

 * Raising global awareness of safety risks in pediatric and newborn care.

 * Empowering parents and caregivers to actively participate in their child’s healthcare decisions.

 * Advocating for strengthened research on patient safety in this specialized field.

The WHO’s call to action aims to reaffirm every child’s right to safe and quality care, building on previous campaigns focused on safe childbirth, medication safety, and health worker safety.

Global Initiatives and The Way Forward

Across the globe, various health organizations and governments are joining the campaign by holding events and launching initiatives. For instance, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is organizing a regional webinar to shed light on the risks faced by newborns and children in healthcare. They are promoting simple, yet effective, measures such as handwashing, skin-to-skin contact, and the administration of antenatal steroids to prevent a significant proportion of deaths in premature babies.

The World Patient Safety Day also serves as a reminder of the broader global commitment to achieving universal health coverage and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 3.2, which aims to end preventable deaths of newborns and children under five. By focusing on pediatric and neonatal care, the campaign aligns with worldwide efforts to ensure every person, regardless of age, receives the highest standard of care.

As a symbolic gesture of solidarity, iconic landmarks and public places worldwide are being illuminated in orange, the official color of the campaign, to signal a collective commitment to creating a safer, healthier future for every child. This visual display serves as a powerful reminder that patient safety is a shared responsibility that requires collaboration from all stakeholders—from healthcare professionals to parents and policymakers.