Safe care for life: Why patient safety must be central to Bangladesh’s NCD response

World Patient Safety Day 2026 emphasizes the importance of "Safe care for life" amid a focus on noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). NCDs, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory disease, cause 74 percent of worldwide deaths. Patient safety is typically associated with surgery, infections, or medication errors, but for NCD patients, risks accumulate over years.

Issues like fragmented communication, delayed diagnosis, medication errors, poor monitoring, and inadequate infection prevention can lead to preventable harm. The World Health Organisation estimates that one in ten patients globally is harmed during healthcare, with half of these harms preventable. This vulnerability is heightened for NCD patients due to their repeated, often lifelong, interactions with health systems.

Bangladesh faces significant NCD challenges. WHO reports that NCDs account for seven out of ten deaths in the country, with more than half occurring prematurely. Yet, achieving safe chronic care involves more than just medicine access. It requires continuity, reliable records, proper prescribing, regular monitoring, effective referral pathways, and effective patient-professional communication.

Basic infrastructure also plays a crucial role. Recent WHO–UNICEF findings highlight serious gaps in water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities in Bangladeshi hospitals, with only 25 percent having basic sanitation, 32 percent basic hygiene, and 16 percent basic waste management services. These are patient-safety issues, not just infrastructure deficiencies.

Bangladesh has made strides in addressing these issues. National infection-prevention guidelines have been created, and WHO supports quality-of-care initiatives, patient-safety strategies, and improved referral systems. However, implementation must extend beyond tertiary centers to district hospitals, upazila facilities, private hospitals, and outpatient clinics.

Patient safety should be integrated into NCD care as a measurable component. Facilities need systems for medication reconciliation, incident reporting, infection prevention, standard treatment protocols, and safe referrals. Digital records can help minimize duplication and errors. Patients and their families must be treated as partners, understanding their medications, warning signs, and follow-up plans.

For Bangladesh, ensuring safer NCD care is vital to reducing preventable deaths, preventing unnecessary suffering for families, and building trust in the healthcare system. "Safe care for life" must transition from a campaign slogan to a national commitment.