WHO: Unsafe Care Threatens NCD Patients Across Africa

"Safe care for life!” .... "People living with conditions such as diabetes, cancer, heart disease and chronic respiratory diseases often require years of consultations, tests, medicines, referrals and treatment, with each interaction carrying the potential to either improve their health or expose them to avoidable harm." .... Says Janabi, RD 

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that people living with noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in Africa face significant risks of avoidable harm throughout their often lengthy health-care journeys.

The WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Mohamed Janabi, gave the warning in his message to mark the 2026 World Patient Safety Day, themed “Safe care for noncommunicable diseases”, with the slogan “Safe care for life!”

Janabi said people living with conditions such as diabetes, cancer, heart disease and chronic respiratory diseases often require years of consultations, tests, medicines, referrals and treatment, with each interaction carrying the potential to either improve their health or expose them to avoidable harm.

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 African Region were premature, compared with 41.7 per cent globally, adding that NCDs were also a major cause of long-term disability and loss of function.

Janabi said the growing burden of NCDs was linked to risk factors including unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, hypertension, obesity and air pollution.

He identified delayed or missed diagnoses, medication errors, adverse drug interactions, weak follow-up and poor communication when patients move between health-care services as some of the risks confronting people living with NCDs.

According to him, such risks could occur during diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, palliative care and self-management, and could be worsened by stigma, discrimination and barriers to essential medicines and technologies.

The WHO Regional Director therefore stressed that expanding access to NCD services must go hand in hand with improving their safety and quality.

He said strong primary health care could provide continuity, facilitate earlier identification of health problems and coordinate care across different levels of the health system.

Janabi also called for practical guidance, reliable supplies and supportive workplaces for health workers, where errors could be reported and used to improve care without fear of blame.

He said countries across the African Region were expanding integrated NCD services through approaches such as WHO PEN at the primary care level and PEN-Plus at first-level referral facilities.

According to him, the approaches bring diagnosis, treatment and long-term care closer to communities while supporting safer care through evidence-based treatment protocols, clear referral pathways and regular monitoring.

Janabi further urged greater involvement of people living with NCDs in efforts to make health care safer, saying they understand where services break down and where risks arise in daily life.

“Listening to their experience, communicating clearly and involving them in decisions can prevent harm and improve treatment outcomes,” he said.

He urged member states to embed patient safety in NCD policies and programmes, strengthen systems for reporting and learning from harm, and invest in health-worker training, supportive supervision and the safe use of medicines and technologies.

The WHO official also called on health professionals to follow evidence-based protocols and communicate openly with patients and colleagues.

He urged patients and families to speak up, ask questions and share concerns whenever anything about their care was unclear.

Janabi reaffirmed WHO’s commitment to supporting member states to strengthen primary health care, improve the quality and safety of NCD services, and ensure that the experiences of patients and families inform how care is designed and delivered.

He said every person should be protected from avoidable harm throughout their health journey, adding that collective action could reduce preventable harm and build health services that earn and sustain public trust.