Healthcare experts and policymakers have sounded the alarm on unsafe care in hospitals, warning that preventable harm in maternity wards, neonatal units and paediatric settings continues to put mothers and children at risk.
Speaking during the World Patient Safety Day Symposium 2025 at the Aga Khan University Centre, leaders called for urgent action to ensure that every child is born and raised in safe healthcare environments. This year’s theme, “Safe Care from the Start: Preventing Harm in Neonatal and Paediatric Care,” highlighted the vulnerability of newborns and children to medical errors and unsafe practices.
Mary Muthoni Muriuki, Principal Secretary at the Ministry of Health, said the government is committed to protecting mothers and children through investments in primary healthcare, expansion of the Community Health Strategy and strengthening of local health networks. “Every child, whether born in a remote village or in a city hospital, deserves the same standard of safe care,” she said.
UNICEF’s Regional Health Specialist, Dr Abdihamid Ibrahim Ahmed, added that unsafe care not only endangers lives but also weakens public trust. Experts at the symposium agreed on urgent steps including better training for healthcare workers, early detection of high-risk conditions in newborns, and empowering parents with the knowledge to demand safe and respectful care.
Healthcare leaders stressed that families have a key role to play. “To keep mothers and children safe, we must go beyond treating illness. Parents should be active partners in care, informed and confident to speak up when something does not feel right,” said Prof Pauline Samia of Aga Khan University Hospital.
