The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is calling on governments, health professionals, and communities across the Americas to prioritize safe and equitable care from the very start of life, as the world marked World Patient Safety Day on September 17.
This year’s campaign, themed “Patient safety from the start!”, highlighted the unique vulnerabilities of newborns and children, who face greater risks of harm in healthcare settings due to their rapid development, specific needs, and reliance on caregivers.
“Every newborn and every child deserves safe, high-quality care from the very first moment of life,” said Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, PAHO Director in a release on PAHO’s website on Tuesday. “In our region, preventable errors such as mistakes with medications, misdiagnoses, or healthcare-associated infections threaten the future of the most vulnerable. This World Day is a call to close these gaps and strengthen the health systems that protect our children,” he added.
PAHO data show that in Latin America and the Caribbean, more than 800,000 babies about 8.9% of live births in 2020 were premature or small for their gestational age, facing higher risks of sepsis, congenital anomalies, and intrapartum complications. Neonatal mortality accounts for over half of child deaths in the region, with prematurity and sepsis among the leading causes.
PAHO says strengthening hospital care, ensuring continuous staff training, and involving families are critical steps, alongside simple life-saving measures such as handwashing, antenatal steroids, and skin-to-skin contact.
In October 2024, during its 61st Directing Council, PAHO adopted a regional “Strategy and Plan of Action to Reduce the Burden of Sepsis (2025–2029),” focusing on awareness, infection prevention, hospital hygiene, and equitable access to care.
Globally, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that one in ten patients suffers harm in healthcare settings, with more than half of such incidents being preventable. Children and newborns are particularly at risk.
To mark the day, PAHO will host a regional webinar on September 23 featuring experts from Argentina, Brazil, Honduras, the United States and Caribbean nations, discussing best practices in child patient safety, digital health, and neonatal sepsis prevention.
On September 17, landmarks worldwide including Geneva’s Jet d’Eau were lit in orange as a symbol of solidarity for safe care from the very beginning of life.