Every year, on September 17, the world celebrates World Patient Safety Day. This event was launched by the World Health Organization in 2019 to highlight the importance of providing safe healthcare, free from medical errors, and respecting human dignity and the right to proper treatment.
The Syrian Future Movement, in joining the international community in commemorating this occasion, affirms that patient safety is a fundamental human right that must be protected under all circumstances, especially in light of the crises and conflicts plaguing some countries, most notably Syria.
In recent years, the Syrian health sector has suffered from the systematic destruction of medical infrastructure, the targeting of hospitals and health centers, and a severe shortage of medical personnel and supplies. This has made patient safety in Syria a pressing issue that transcends professionalism and becomes a humanitarian, ethical, and national issue.
On this day, the Syrian Future Movement calls for what it emphasized in the article “The Health Situation in Syria,” which we published on our official website on November 17, 2023. We also recommend:
- Rebuilding the Syrian health system on the foundations of justice, efficiency, and transparency.
- Protecting medical personnel from targeting and arrest, and ensuring a safe working environment for them.
- Enabling Syrian patients to access safe healthcare, regardless of their affiliations or location.
- Cooperating with international organizations to implement patient safety standards in all areas of Syria, including those outside the regime’s control.
We believe that patient safety is the cornerstone of any successful health system, and that building a future Syria begins with protecting people, body and soul, and granting them the right to safe treatment and medical dignity.
Let us make this day a starting point for restoring dignity to Syrian patients, and to the doctors and nurses who work under harsh conditions, carrying the message of life amidst the rubble of death.
