'Almost 20% of patients die due to hospital errors'

KARACHI:

An alarming 18-20 per cent of hospitalised patients in the country lose their lives due to medical errors, negligence, misadministration of drugs, and deadly infections in the hospitals, experts have claimed.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of the Patient Safety and Quality Healthcare Conference to be hosted by Aga Khan University (AKU) in April and organised by Riphah Institute of Healthcare, leading healthcare professionals called for urgent reforms to improve patient safety in hospitals across the country.

The press conference was addressed by Executive Director of Riphah International, Asadullah Khan, Executive Director of NICVD, Prof. Dr. Tahir Saghir, Chairman of Patient Safety, Dr. Zakiuddin, and Sayed Jamshed Ahmed.

Dr. Zakiuddin, citing research from the Johns Hopkins Institute, stated that over 100,000 people die annually in the United States due to preventable medical errors.

"In the US, the leading cause of death is heart disease, followed by cancer, while preventable medical errors are the third most common cause of deaths. This is a serious issue that requires immediate action," he emphasised.

He further mentioned that the primary objective of the 8th International Patient Safety Conference in April, is to enhance patient safety and improving healthcare quality.