World Patient Safety Day (WPSD), one of WHO’s global public health initiatives, continues its vital mission in 2024. Established in 2019 by the Seventy-second World Health Assembly through the adoption of resolution WHA72.6 – “Global action on patient safety” – this day is observed annually on 17 September. It is a pivotal event to promote global health and safety, firmly grounded in the core medical principle: “first, do no harm.” The day aims to raise public awareness, enhance global understanding, and foster solidarity and action among Member States to promote patient safety. Each year, a new theme is chosen to address a critical area in patient safety that demands urgent attention.

World Patients Alliance is dedicated to championing the rights and well-being of patients worldwide. We are, therefore, thrilled to forge strong alliances to promote patient safety and access to quality healthcare. Our member organizations celebrated World Patient Safety Day 2024 worldwide by conducting events, seminars, walks and awareness sessions. World Patient Safety Day 2024, observed on September 17, highlighted the theme “Improving Diagnosis for Patient Safety.” This year’s focus was on minimizing diagnostic errors, which contribute to preventable harm. Under the slogan “Get it Right, Make it Safe!”, the initiative promoted awareness, policy integration, and collaboration among healthcare leaders, patients, and families. WPA elevated the voice of patients by sanctioning WPSD 2024 Grants for these events and, also, in pursuit of its objectives to ensure patient safety, engagement and access to quality healthcare worldwide.

World Patients Alliance organized world largest WPSD campaigns by organizing over 1600 events in 2021, 2022 and 2023. In 2024, this day was commemorated by enthusiastic patients’ safety champions and advocates in their homelands via member organizations and conducted more than 600 events across the globe.

The WPA invited all stakeholders to join the global campaign, light up the world in orange on 17 September, and take concrete steps toward achieving diagnostic safety.

1. Raise Global Awareness: Highlight the impact of diagnostic errors on patient harm and emphasize the critical role of accurate, timely, and safe diagnoses in enhancing patient safety.
2. Promote Diagnostic Safety: Integrate diagnostic safety into patient safety policies and clinical practices at all levels of health care, in alignment with the Global Patient Safety Action Plan 2021–2030.
3. Foster Collaboration: Encourage cooperation among policymakers, health care leaders, health workers, patient organizations, and other stakeholders to advance accurate, timely, and safe diagnoses.
4. Empower Patients and Families: Enable patients and their families to actively engage with health workers and health care leaders to improve diagnostic processes.

Take a peek into the events by using the drop-down menus below.