Medical errors claim lives of 18-20% hospitalised patients in Pakistan

A staggering 18-20% of hospitalised patients in Pakistan lose their lives due to medical errors, negligence, misadministration of drugs, and deadly hospital-acquired infections, experts have warned.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of the Patient Safety and Quality Healthcare Conference hosted by Aga Khan University (AKU) in April and organised by Riphah Institute of Healthcare, leading healthcare professionals called for urgent reforms to improve patient safety in hospitals across the country.

The press conference was addressed by Executive Director of Riphah International, Asadullah Khan, Executive Director of NICVD, Prof Dr Tahir Saghir, Chairman of Patient Safety, Dr Zakiuddin, and Sayed Jamshed Ahmed.

Dr Zakiuddin pointed out that several errors occur during medical treatment, including wrong drug prescriptions, incorrect injections, surgical complications, and hospital-acquired infections.

“The World Health Organization (WHO) has been consistently raising awareness about patient safety, yet many developing countries, including Pakistan, continue to struggle with high rates of medical errors,” he said.

He stressed the need for specialized training for medical staff and the adoption of modern patient safety systems to curb preventable mistakes. “There must be a culture where doctors and nurses acknowledge their errors and work toward rectifying them rather than concealing mistakes,” he added.

Read full story

Source: Business Recorder, 3 March 2025