BRAZZAVILLE, Republic of the Congo// — “For a person living with diabetes, cancer, heart disease or a chronic respiratory condition, health care is rarely a single encounter,” said Dr Mohamed Janabi, WHO Regional Director for Africa, marking World Patient Safety Day 2026. “Each interaction should improve health, yet each can also expose a patient to avoidable harm.”
Kenya’s commemoration this year carried the same message forward.
“Globally, one in ten patients are harmed while receiving health care, and nearly half of that harm could have been prevented. In Africa, the risk is even higher, with patients facing a greater probability of harm in hospitals, and up to 20 times the risk of acquiring a health care-associated infection than in other regions,” said Dr Neema Rusibamayila Kimambo, WHO Representative to Kenya, at the opening of the World Patient Safety Day Conference 2026.
“For the millions of Kenyans living with noncommunicable diseases, who depend on the health system again and again over many years, these risks compound with every visit,” she said.
Over the past year, Kenya has steadily strengthened its health system with new policy reforms, expanded cancer screening services, and a growing network of trained patient safety champions, part of a wider effort to make care safer for all patients, with particular attention this year on the millions of Kenyans managing noncommunicable diseases.
These diseases include cancers, diabetes and heart diseases, and are a growing concern across the African Region, with the World Health Organization (WHO) projecting them to result in 3.8 million premature deaths by 2030.
This year, Kenya marked World Patient Safety Day 2026 with a series of national activities aimed at advancing safer care for people living with noncommunicable diseases under the global theme, “Safe care for non-communicable diseases: Safe care for life.” Building on the success of the inaugural Patient Safety Symposium in 2025, Kenya expanded the conversation this year, focusing on translating knowledge into practical action and measurable commitments.
A highlight of the celebrations was the three-day World Patient Safety Day Conference 2026, held from 9 to 11 September at Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi. The conference brought together health professionals, policymakers, researchers, and patient representatives to address patient safety challenges across the continuum of noncommunicable disease care.
Discussions focused on understanding the patient journey through the lens of real-life experiences, strengthening primary health care, improving diagnostic excellence and medication safety, enhancing care coordination, leveraging digital health solutions, and using data and quality improvement approaches to build safer and more resilient health systems.
Dr Kimambo emphasised that “investing in patient safety not only saves resources but more importantly, saves lives and improves health outcomes.”
She highlighted risks such as delayed diagnosis, medication-related harm, fragmented referrals and inadequate follow-up, and called for stronger preventive primary health care systems, empowered patients, improved quality monitoring, and a culture of learning and continuous improvement across the continuum of care.
“Patient safety remains a cornerstone of stronger health systems and Universal Health Coverage,” she stated while reaffirming it as a global health priority for WHO.
Kenya’s efforts are further supported through its selection by WHO as a pioneer country for the PEN-Plus and Women Integrated Care Services initiatives. These programmes, which are being implemented across Busia, Kericho, Bungoma and Nyandarua counties, aim to improve access to quality noncommunicable disease services at the primary health care level, including care for children living with sickle cell disease and women requiring breast and cervical cancer services.
In June 2026, targeted county hospitals and selected health centers in Bungoma and Nyandarua received cancer screening and treatment equipment, including thermo-ablation devices, and Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure (LEEP) machines. Following the distribution of equipment and commodities, a series of capacity-building activities were conducted, including how to use the equipment and to collect quality data. These efforts, implemented with the Ministry of Health and supplier engineers aims to strengthen cervical cancer screening, improving diagnostic accuracy and timeliness, and enhancing treatment services.
In addition, the recent launched WHO and Aga Khan University Partnership focused on examining evidence in Kenya to guide the use of HPV DNA genotyping and high-performance screening of cervical cancer screening approaches.
Dr Gladwell Gathecha, Head of the Division of Noncommunicable Diseases and Cancer at the Ministry of Health, noted that through the above WHO-supported initiatives, the development and implementation of women’s cancer clinical guidelines and protocols, combined with health worker training, specialist mentorship and supportive supervision, have strengthened provider confidence at lower-level facilities, improved quality of care, and enhanced country ownership and sustainability of the programmes.
Dr Hongyi Xu, Medical Officer with the WHO AFRO Noncommunicable Disease Multi-Country Assignment Team, highlighted the strong policy and legal foundation driving improvements in patient safety and quality of care in Kenya. She cited key reforms, including the Primary Health Care Act 2023, the National Essential Medicines List, the 2025 Quality Healthcare and Patient Safety Bill, and ongoing health financing reforms, all of which address major barriers to safe and high-quality noncommunicable disease care.
Globally, noncommunicable disease care is becoming increasingly complex. In urban areas of sub-Saharan Africa, an estimated 45% of urban adults aged 40 to 60 years live with more than one chronic condition, often receiving care from multiple providers. The conference used the case study of “Mama Amina”, a 64-year-old woman living with five chronic conditions and taking 12 medications, to illustrate the challenges faced by patients with multimorbidity. Her experience highlighted the safety risks associated with navigating multiple health workers, facilities, and treatment regimens.
Dr Xu noted that Kenya has made efforts in moving beyond access to care towards ensuring access to safe, high-quality noncommunicable disease services. Promising practices include patient handover notes, multidisciplinary case reviews, and medication reconciliation to prevent duplicate prescriptions and harmful drug interactions among patients with multiple chronic conditions.
“It is important to embed patient safety within all noncommunicable disease-related policies, strategies and plans and, most importantly, to translate policy into practice,” said Dr Xu. “Particular attention should be given to remote, underserved and pastoralist counties, while building resilient health systems capable of maintaining essential noncommunicable disease services during public health emergencies.”
Through strong partnerships, policy reforms and investments in quality improvement, Kenya continues to demonstrate leadership in strengthening patient safety and improving health outcomes across the continuum of noncommunicable disease care.
African Eye Report
