Menu

Blog

Sep 29, 2019

Five patients die every minute from incorrect medical treatment, according to the World Health Organization

Posted by in categories: biotech/medical, health

  • A recent report by the World Health Organization (WHO) claims 2.6 million people die every year in middle and low-income countries from incorrect medical care.
  • The report, which was published before the first-ever World Patient Safety Day on September 17, reveals that five people die every minute from incorrect medical care.
  • The health agency says the most common errors occur in diagnosis, prescription and use of medicines and that the deaths are completely preventable.
  • The cost of prescribing the wrong medication alone is $42 billion a year.
  • Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

Every year, 2.6 million people die in middle and low-income countries because of incorrect medical care, according to a recent report published by the World Health Organization (WHO). The health agency is hoping to shed light on the issue by launching a campaign in solidarity with patients on the first-ever World Patient Safety Day on September 17.

“No one should be harmed while receiving health care. And yet globally, at least 5 patients die every minute because of unsafe care,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.

Comments are closed.