Asia Regional Webinar
On Sept 13, 2021, the WPA Regional Webinar on WPSD was held for the Asian Region (including EMRO). It was a very successful event in which renowned speakers from the region participated, including WHO regional officials, patients’ safety experts, and patient advocates from all over the region. Hussain Jafri, founding WPA Board member, moderated the webinar. The webinar was attended by over 170 patient advocates and organizations from the region.
Hussain welcomed participants and speakers and presented an introduction to the WPA. He was followed by Dr. Mondher Letaief, Regional Adviser, Patient Safety and Quality of the WHO EMRO Office. Dr. Mondher spoke about WHO’s “Global Patient Safety Action Plan 2021–2030”, which was adopted by the WHO Member States during the World Health Assembly in 2021. Patients and patient organizations will be actively involved in this plan as partners for the provision of safe healthcare.
Dr. Abdulela Alhawsawi, former founding Director General of the Saudi Patient Safety Center (SPSC) and Saudi MOH Advisor, presented on pandemic and patient safety in the region. Dr. J.S. Arora, General Secretary of National Thalassemia Welfare Society, India, and Advisory Group Member, WHO’s Patients for Patients Safety Program, presented on WHO’s global patient safety challenge “Medication Without Harm”. The aim of this challenge is to encourage and empower patients, their caregivers, and healthcare professionals to take an active role in ensuring safer medication practices and medication use processes including prescription, preparation, dispensing, administration, and monitoring. Manvir Victor, founding Chairman of Patients for Patient Safety, Malaysia, and Member Advisory Group, WHO’s Patients for Patients Safety Program spoke about the role of patients in patient safety based on his own example as a kidney failure patient.
The 2021 Asian & EMRO WPSD webinar is available for viewing on the WPA YouTube channel: