Home / Health / World Patient Safety Day: Focus on NCDs Urged
World Patient Safety Day: Focus on NCDs Urged
16 Sep
Summary
- Non-communicable diseases cause 74% of global deaths, experts warn.
- Assam sees 55.96% of healthy years lost due to NCDs.
- Specialist doctors and community-based screening are vital for patient safety.
Ahead of World Patient Safety Day, medical experts are advocating for enhanced awareness, early detection, and improved access to specialized care due to the significant global burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). These diseases are responsible for 74% of all deaths worldwide. Standardized laboratory practices and precise diagnoses are deemed essential for minimizing medical errors and ensuring timely treatment for NCDs.
In Assam, NCDs, encompassing conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, contribute to 55.96% of healthy years lost to disease and premature death, a figure lower than the national average. Cardiovascular diseases lead NCD-related fatalities, with high blood pressure identified as a major risk factor. Noted cardiologist Dr. N.K. Bhattacharjee stressed the indispensable role of specialist doctors at all healthcare levels for patient safety.
Pathologist Dr. Gayatri Gogoi highlighted the necessity of regular patient and family counseling, alongside health education, to foster adherence to lifelong treatments for conditions like hypertension. She stated that long-term care necessitates a multidisciplinary team, including counselors and other healthcare workers. For cancer, Dr. Gogoi proposed a community-based approach focusing on screening and prevention rather than solely on secondary care treatment.
