The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Africa, Dr Mohamed Janabi, has called for stronger patient-safety measures for people living with Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) across the African Region and beyond.
Janabi made the call on Wednesday in a statement marking the 2026 World Patient Safety Day, themed “Safe care for noncommunicable diseases” with the slogan “Safe care for life!” across the African Region and beyond.
He urged governments, health workers, development partners, patients and families to make patient safety an integral component of NCD care delivery throughout the WHO African Region and healthcare systems.
According to him, expanding access to NCD services must be accompanied by measures that strengthen safety, improve quality and ensure continuity of care for patients across healthcare settings.
Janabi said people living with NCDs often require healthcare over many years, involving consultations, diagnostic investigations, medicines, referrals and treatment delivered through different levels of healthcare systems.
He said that every interaction with the health system should improve patients’ health outcomes but could also expose individuals to avoidable harm if safeguards were lacking.
The WHO Regional Director said harm could result from delayed diagnoses, missed diagnoses, medication errors, adverse drug interactions and inadequate follow-up during treatment and ongoing disease management.
He also identified poor communication when patients move between healthcare providers or facilities as another potential source of avoidable harm requiring urgent attention from health authorities.
Janabi said patient-safety risks could occur during diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, palliative care and self-management, underscoring the need for safeguards throughout the continuum of healthcare services.
He added that stigma, discrimination and barriers to accessing essential medicines and technologies could further increase risks faced by people living with NCDs across communities.
NCDs remain a major public-health challenge globally and across the WHO African Region, with millions of people requiring long-term care, treatment, monitoring and support throughout their lives.
Janabi said NCDs caused at least 43 million deaths globally in 2021, highlighting the substantial health burden associated with these diseases and their complications worldwide.
He said NCDs accounted for 37 per cent of all deaths in the WHO African Region in 2019, compared with 24 per cent recorded in 2000.
According to him, nearly two-thirds of NCD deaths in the Region were premature, compared with 41.7 per cent globally, reflecting the disproportionate burden facing African populations.
He said NCDs were also a major cause of long-term disability and functional limitations, affecting the wellbeing, productivity and livelihoods of individuals and families significantly.
Janabi identified unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, hypertension, obesity and air pollution among factors contributing to the increasing burden of NCDs across countries in the African Region.
He said the prolonged nature of NCD care meant patients could encounter several healthcare providers and facilities throughout their treatment journey, creating multiple opportunities for safety risks.
He emphasised that safer systems were therefore needed to ensure patients received appropriate, timely and coordinated care at every stage of their healthcare experience.
The WHO official said strong primary healthcare could provide continuity of care, identify health problems earlier and coordinate services across different levels of the health system.
He said that health workers needed practical guidance, reliable supplies and supportive working environments to provide safe, effective and quality NCD services for patients consistently.
Janabi said healthcare systems should create environments where workers could report errors and safety concerns, using lessons learned to improve care without fear or blame.
He said countries across the African Region were expanding integrated NCD services through approaches such as WHO PEN at the primary healthcare level to improve access.
He added that PEN-Plus was also being implemented at first-level referral facilities, bringing services for severe and chronic NCDs closer to underserved communities across Africa.
According to him, such approaches support safer care through evidence-based treatment protocols, clear referral pathways and regular monitoring of patient outcomes and service quality.
Janabi emphasised that people living with NCDs should be treated as partners in efforts aimed at making healthcare safer, more responsive and effective for everyone.
He said patients and families often understood where healthcare services break down and where risks emerged during everyday disease management and interactions with providers.
He urged health workers to listen to patients’ experiences, communicate clearly and involve them in decisions concerning their care, treatment and long-term disease management.
He said such patient-centred approaches could help prevent avoidable harm, strengthen trust in healthcare systems and improve treatment outcomes for people living with NCDs.
Janabi urged Member States to strengthen systems for reporting and learning from patient harm while investing in health-worker training, supportive supervision and safe use of technologies.
He also called on health professionals to follow evidence-based protocols and communicate openly with patients, caregivers and colleagues to improve safety and quality outcomes.
The WHO Regional Director urged patients and families to speak up, ask questions and share concerns whenever uncertain about any aspect of their care.
He reaffirmed WHO’s commitment to supporting Member States in strengthening primary healthcare systems and improving the quality and safety of NCD services regionally.
Janabi said WHO would also support efforts to ensure that patients’ and families’ experiences inform how healthcare services are designed, delivered and continuously improved.
He emphasised that every person living with an NCD deserved protection from avoidable harm throughout their health journey, regardless of location, background or circumstances.
According to him, “Safe care for life” therefore requires governments, health workers, patients, families and partners to work together to make healthcare safer at every point.