The 17th of September 2019 dawns with a new mark on the calender, as we inaugurate

A worldwide movement towards a life changing venture, potentially great

• Raise awareness of patient safety issues globally.
• Enhance global understanding on the central role of patient safety in achieving Universal Health Coverage and Sustainable Development Goals.
• Encourage development of systems and procedures for theelimination of all avoidable health care related harm to patients, and management of risks in healthcare.
• Encourage all governments to commit to and support the implementation of strategies for ensuring patient safety, managing risks and fostering supportive, learning cultures.
• Strengthen collaboration and partnerships at global, regional, national and local levels for implementing patient safety strategies and for improving safety of healthcare.
• Highlight specific patient safety themes such as Medication Safety, Education and Training in Patient Safety, Reporting and learning
  systems, Patient Engagement.

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Five ways you can show your support

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2. Mobilise your network ahead of Tuesday 17th September
Make sure your contacts know about World Patient Safety Day. Send them a quick message letting them know how they can show their support. Patient Safety matters to ALL South Africans.

So in general we implore people to please

Spread the word

For the unheard

Everywhere you possibly can.

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3. Spread the word by posting the key messages on Facebook and Twitter
Access the
messages and graphics here and remember to use the hashtag #PatientSafety and #WorldPatientSafetyDay with your posts.

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4. Share your World Patient Safety Day photos
Whichever way you’re marking WPSD, send us your best photo to illustrate what ‘speaking up for patient safety’ looks like for you and we will help you share them with the world through social media as a way of raising awareness. Please send your photos to admin
@rarediseases.co.za

You can tag @rarediseasessa, myself @kay_born_in_may, and partner @liyae3, so that we can also see and connect with the people who come forth to participate and show solidarity.

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5. Download and use the WHO patient safety resources
The World Health Organization has put together very useful resources to support us in marking the first ever World Patient Safety Day. You can find and download them
here.

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If you are a patient or caregiver:

• Be actively involved in your own care.
• It is good to ask questions; safe health care starts with good communication.
• Be sure to provide accurate information about your health history.

If you are a health worker or healthcare leader:

• Engage patients as partners in their care.
• Work together for patient safety.
• Ensure continuous professional development to improve your skills and knowledge in patient safety.
• Create an open and transparent safety culture in health care settings.
• Encourage blame-free reporting of and learning from errors.

If you are a policy maker:

• Investing in patient safety results in financial savings.
• Invest in patient safety to save lives and build trust.
• Make patient safety a national health priority.

If you are a researcher, student, academic, or professional institution:

• Generate evidence to improve patient safety, your research matters.
• Encourage research in patient safety.
• Incorporate patient safety in educational curricula and courses.

If you are from a professional association, international organization or foundation:

• Promote patient safety for achieving universal health coverage.
• Provide learning and development opportunities for patient safety.

If you are a public health advocate or from a patient organization:

• Promote patients’ voices in their own safe care.
• Advocate for safety in health care as a requirement.

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Each time someone kindly steps forth to participate and reinforce a good initiative

They are contributing towards a change, for which we are greatly appreciative

Remember ripple effects;

Far out it extends

And never ends

“Thus surely, your lord wastes not, the reward of the good doers”