5th Global Ministerial Summit on Patient Safety

Switzerland hosted the 5th Global Ministerial Summit on Patient Safety. The event was held in Montreux on 23–24 February 2023.

At the two-day summit, more than 600 experts and almost 80 ministerial delegations from around the world came together to discuss measures to strengthen patient safety. The participants were in agreement that despite the progress made worldwide, further efforts are still needed in order to ensure the provision of effective and high-quality care to all patients. In this respect, the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic offer great potential for the development of resilient health systems.

WHO Global Action Plan

The summit highlighted the importance of the Global Patient Safety Action Plan 2021–2030 of the World Health Organization (WHO), which provides a comprehensive roadmap for strengthening patient safety. The ministers and experts also acknowledged the important national and international initiatives as well as the commitment of numerous stakeholders around the world.

Patient safety: a major challenge for health systems

The harm suffered by patients within the context of healthcare affects all countries, irrespective of their income and geographical location. Studies show that around ten per cent of patients are subject to an adverse event leading to death or disability while receiving hospital care. A substantial proportion of these incidents could be avoided.