On Friday 7 December 2018, patient advocates and stakeholders from all world regions will stand together, united in a celebration of Patient Solidarity Day (PSD).
This year’s theme is about ‘Safe Medication and Healthcare for All’ and it aims to raise awareness on these critical global public health issues and advocate for access to safe, quality and appropriate medicines and treatments as warranted by patients’ conditions.
The Key Messages about Patient Solidarity Day:
- This Patient Solidarity Day patient advocates across the globe are coming together in solidarity to raise awareness on and advocate for access to safe medication and healthcare for all.
- Patient exposure to unsafe medication and healthcare is a chronic public health issue that results in delayed care, disease progression, increased mortality and antimicrobial resistance.
- Every patient has a right to receive medication and healthcare that are safe, effective, and legitimate.
- Chance should not be a factor in whether or not one receives safe healthcare and quality medicines.
- Safe medication and healthcare happens when the issue of responsibility is addressed from the beginning to the end of the pharmaceutical supply chain, by involving and coordinating stakeholders from a wide range of backgrounds.
- Unsafe medication practices and medication errors are a leading cause of injury and avoidable harm in health care systems across the world.
- Addressing falsified medicines requires general education and knowledge of potential danger to people’s health. Everyone should have access to information on what they could do if they suspected a medicine to be falsified, and how to challenge policymakers to prioritize and act on this important issue.
- Unsafe medicines represent various threats to patients: it may contain an insufficient amount or no active ingredient, or dangerous ingredients leading to drug resistance, treatment failure and even death.
- For healthcare systems to be viewed as patient-centric, the principle of patient safety must be properly guaranteed.
