The Ministry of Health and Social Services, commemorated the World Patient Safety Day 2025. As a nation and as part of the global community, we joined in marking World Patient Safety Day 2025 under the theme ‘Safe Care for Every Newborn and Every Child’ and the slogan ‘Patient Safety from the Start!’
Observed every year on 17 September, this World Health Organisation (WHO) initiative unites governments, non-governmental healthcare workers, patients, families, and development partners in striving to eliminate avoidable harm in healthcare. This year’s focus on new-borns and children is therefore both timely and urgent. Every child, from the very first breath of life, deserves access to safe, timely, respectful, affordable, friendly, and responsive and improves health
5The Ministry of Health and Social Services (MHSS), in collaboration with its partners, has made patient safety a national priority. Namibia has committed, invested and has made significant progress in maternal, new-born, and child health by improving access to antenatal and postnatal services, increased facility-based births, strengthening Health Systems and Service Delivery, building the capacity of the healthcare workforce through training, coaching, and mentoring, and empowering healthcare workers to apply evidence based practices and uphold the highest standards of safety. However, challenges remain in meeting global targets of 2030. Namibia’s key achievements include reduction in mortality rates: Maternal Mortality Rate decreasing from 449 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2000 to 139 in 2024 (WHO), the infant mortality rate has also decreased, falling from 50.9 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2000 to 25.4 per 1000 live births in 2024.
