NAIROBI, Kenya – Healthcare experts and policymakers have raised the alarm over unsafe practices in maternity wards, neonatal units, and paediatric settings, warning that preventable harm continues to claim the lives of mothers and children in Kenya and beyond.
Speaking during the World Patient Safety Day Symposium 2025 at the Aga Khan University Centre on Tuesday, they called for urgent reforms to strengthen safety and quality in maternal and child healthcare.
This year’s theme, “Safe Care from the Start: Preventing Harm in Neonatal and Paediatric Care,” highlighted the heightened vulnerability of newborns and children to medical errors and unsafe practices.
Public Health Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni said Kenya has made notable progress in reducing child mortality through investments in primary healthcare, community health strategies, and expanded health infrastructure, but warned that unsafe care still undermines these gains.
“This year’s theme speaks directly to the heart of our healthcare mission: to protect, to nurture, and to ensure that every child’s journey in life is safe, healthy, and full of potential. A child in a remote village should receive the same standard of care as the child in an urban hospital,” Muthoni said.
The symposium brought together doctors, policymakers, researchers, educators, patient advocates, and community leaders.
Participants agreed on priorities such as simulation-based workforce training, early detection systems for high-risk conditions, scaling up low-cost innovations, and involving families as partners in care.
Dr Abdihamid Ibrahim Ahmed, UNICEF’s Regional Health Specialists Coordinator for Eastern and Southern Africa, stressed that unsafe practices not only endanger lives but also erode public trust in health systems.
“Every child deserves safe and quality care from their very first breath. This symposium is a call to action for policymakers, healthcare professionals, and families to make patient safety a shared responsibility,” he said.
Experts including Prof Pauline Samia, Chair of Paediatrics and Child Health at Aga Khan University, and Prof John Weru, Chief Medical Officer at Aga Khan University Hospital, underscored the need for a culture of safety where patient dignity is prioritized.
“We cannot afford to accept preventable harm as part of the cost of care. Together, we must build a system where every mother and every child receives care that is not only effective but also safe and dignified,” Prof Weru said.
The symposium closed with a joint commitment to push for stronger policies, better resources, and safer systems to protect mothers and children at every stage of care.
