Medical errors take five lives every minute and cost $40 billion annually: WHO

• Every minute five people die because of inefficient healthcare
  
• Apart from losing human life, the cost of inefficient healthcare cost $40 billion annually.
  

Medication errors like dispensing wrong medicines and treatment are taking five lives every minute, says the World Health Organisation (WHO) on patient safety day. Apart from loss of life, the cost of inefficient healthcare is pegged at $40 billion annually.

Unsafe healthcare results in the death of 2.6 million deaths annually, in low and middle income countries. Further, four out of ten people suffer for the lack of primary care or an ambulance and other avoidable instances

“Unsafe surgical care procedures cause complications in up to 25% of patients resulting in one million deaths during or immediately after surgery annually,” said WHO.


"No one should be harmed while receiving healthcare. And yet globally, at least five patients die every minute because of unsafe care," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, said ahead of the day.

WHO urged medical officers, policymakers, and patients to avoid any error in medication and build a 'blame-free environment' .

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