Second Global Patient Safety Challenge
"SAFE SURGERY SAVES LIVES INITIATIVE"

Global Launch, 25 June 2008
Pan American Health Organization
Washington, D.C.

Welcoming remarks
Dr. Mirta Roses, PAHO Director

Good morning,
We are extremely excited to gather here a significant group of health organizations this morning, we are particularly happy to have a full room , at this the main room of the Pan American Health Organization Headquarter, what we call 'the House of the Health of the Americas', then welcome to this room today at the launching of this WHO Second Global Patient Safety Challenge.

We are also very happy to have distinguished guests and participants.
In this week we are also having our Executive Committee, and some of the members and ministers of health of the Region are joining us to this global event, which a significance importance for our global health commitment. I want to particularly thanks to Dr. Atul Gawande and Sir Liam Donaldson, who are frequently visitors to our Organization.

We have been blessed because the Pan American Health Organization hosted also the Global Launch of the World Alliance for Patient Safety/WHO (WAPS/WHO) in October 2004. After three years of collaborative work, we are very proud to celebrate the global progress of the Alliance and welcome the 2nd Global Patient Safety Challenge "Safe Surgery Saves Lives".

During this period PAHO/WHO, in collaboration with the World Alliance for Patient Safety/WHO, has worked towards the reduction of healthcare-related infections -1st Global Challenge-; the inclusion of the voice of the patients in healthcare improvement -Patients for Patient Safety-; and the promotion of Patient Safety Research. Whereas these activities have demonstrated evident progress we need to sustain ongoing work in these areas.

The 2nd Global Challenge marks the continuation of a productive collaboration within the WHO system, and a further step in the delivery of integrated patient safety solutions in our Member States.

The strategies and instruments aligned in the "Safe Surgery Saves Lives" strategy are in full alignment with PAHO's resolution in the Executive Committee (CE140.R18), approved by Pan American Sanitary Conference in October 2007. This resolution and its related technical document lay out the policy and strategies to ensure quality of health care, including patient safety. Hence, our participation on "Safe Surgery Saves Lives" is an important step to bring forward the patient safety agenda in the Americas.

The Safe Surgery initiative has already received an unprecedented support from PAHO Member States: 70 professional associations, ministries of health and hospitals from 29 countries of the Americas have formally endorsed the Second Global Challenge. PAHO/WHO hopes that the Second Global Challenge will effectively address the need for data and provide context-sensitive solutions for safe surgical procedures globally.

And I wish that this second call has the resonance and success and proceeds with the work as the first call.

Thank you

More information:

WHO Releases »
New checklist to help make surgery safer
La OMS idea un nuevo instrumento para mejora la seguridad de las intervenciones quirúrgicas

PAHO Releases »
Medical Professionals Worldwide Endorse WHO Checklist for Safer Surgery
Dr. Roses' welcoming remarks at the launching [PAHO Director's Office Release]
PAHO Launches "Safe Surgery Saves Lives" - 2nd WHO Global Patient Safety Challenge [PAHO Media Advisory]

WHO Website »

Safe Surgery Saves Lives initiative
10 facts on safe surgery

Media Publication »
WHO launches safety checklist for surgeons [AFP]
Safety checklist for ops launched [BBC]
WHO Issues a Checklist to Make Operations Safer
[The New York Times]
Global surgery—defining a research agenda
[The Lancet]

Surgical care has been an essential component of health care worldwide for over a century ... While surgical procedures are intended to save lives, unsafe surgical care can cause substantial harm. Given the ubiquity of surgery, this has significant implications for public health. Mortality from general anaesthesia alone is reported to be as high as one in 150 in parts of sub-Saharan Africa. Infections and other postoperative morbidities are also a serious concern around the world.
WHO: Safe surgery is a public health issue

For more information, please contact Diaz, Eng. Katia (WDC), Director's Office Web Master.