The Philippines observed World Patient Safety Day (WPSD) on September 17 under the theme “Safe care for every newborn and every child,” joining the World Health Organization’s global campaign to raise awareness of avoidable harm in health care and mobilize action for safer systems.
According to WHO, the observance highlights patient safety as a global health priority, urging stronger commitments from governments and health institutions while encouraging collaboration with patients, families, and communities.
For 2025, the focus on children and newborns reflects their heightened vulnerability to risks such as medication errors, infections, and unsafe clinical practices.
Moreover, the campaign seeks to empower parents and caregivers to participate actively in care decisions, reinforcing safety “from the start.”
In the Philippines, hospitals and health authorities aligned with these goals through advocacy campaigns and landmark illuminations in orange, a symbolic call for safer, high-quality care for the country’s youngest patients.
However, Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data show that infant mortality fell from 22.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023 to 17.2 in 2024, while neonatal mortality remained at about 14 per 1,000 live births.
The under-five mortality rate stood at 27 per 1,000 live births, reflecting slow but steady progress.
Nevertheless, thousands of Filipino newborns and children still die or suffer harm each year due to gaps in newborn care, infection control, and inequities across regions.
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Why a Child-and-Newborn Focus — and Why Now
The World Health Organization emphasizes that newborns and children are uniquely vulnerable to unsafe care, facing risks such as medication errors, health care–associated infections, diagnostic mistakes, and procedure-related incidents.
WHO notes that harm rates in pediatric care are particularly high, with studies showing that up to 53.8 percent of children in general wards and 91.6 percent in pediatric intensive care units experience at least one adverse event during hospitalization — many preventable (WHO, 2025).
Furthermore, WHO estimates that one in every ten patients worldwide is harmed in health care, with unsafe care linked to over 3 million deaths annually, more than half of which are avoidable (WHO Fact Sheet, 2023).
The Philippine picture reflects this global reality. Based on a 2025 study at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH), every chart reviewed among inpatients with asthma or COPD contained at least one medication error, with prescribing errors accounting for 99 percent of cases; while most were “no harm” incidents, about 1.2 percent caused harm (Abunales et al., 2025).
Another PGH review found a 97.8 percent prevalence of medication errors across four service wards, with Pediatrics recording the highest average number of errors per chart (Pasco et al., 2021).
Meanwhile, a retrospective review in Palawan (2019–2023) reported dosage mistakes, incorrect administration, and timing errors as the most common medication incidents, with high workloads and limited staff training as major factors (Faller et al., 2023).
Newborns face further risks in neonatal intensive care. A Manila-based study revealed that nearly 31 percent of admitted infants were already colonized with drug-resistant bacteria on arrival, and 46 percent acquired colonization during their stay. Almost 20 percent developed bacteremia, and mortality reached 33.7 percent; however, infection control interventions significantly reduced these rates (Gill et al., 2009).
On a broader scale, WHO’s Western Pacific office has urged member states, including the Philippines, to strengthen reporting and learning systems, infection prevention, and family engagement in child health services (PAHO, 2025).
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The Philippine Baseline: Progress Built on Policy — and the Gaps that Remain
The Philippines has laid down foundational policies for patient safety. The Department of Health’s Administrative Order (AO) 2020-0007 established the National Policy on Patient Safety in Health Facilities, mandating hospitals to appoint safety officers, form committees, monitor adverse events, and integrate safety programs into routine operations (DOH, 2020). However, implementation has been uneven.
A 2024 article in Acta Medica Philippina noted that while hospitals formally adopt policies, many show “superficial compliance,” with weak reporting systems, under-resourced committees, and limited metrics (Acta Medica Philippina, 2024).
For newborns, the Essential Newborn Care (ENC) bundle or Unang Yakap remains a cornerstone. Introduced in AO 2009-0025, it standardizes time-bound practices such as immediate drying, early skin-to-skin contact, delayed cord clamping, and early breastfeeding, proven to lower neonatal deaths.
Furthermore, the Newborn Screening Act of 2004 (RA 9288) mandates early testing for metabolic and genetic disorders, ensuring conditions are detected before they cause irreversible harm, though coverage remains uneven nationwide.
Medication and vaccine safety are similarly institutionalized. The FDA’s AO 2011-0009 requires hospitals to maintain pharmacovigilance units and report adverse drug reactions (ADRs). Yet under-reporting is widespread.
A 2025 mixed-methods study by Lirasan et al. shows that fewer than half of Filipino health professionals were aware of the National Pharmacovigilance Center, and only 21.5 percent had ever filed an ADR report, citing barriers such as limited training and complex processes. Likewise, a 2024 qualitative study in Metro Manila identified lack of feedback, organizational gaps, and workload as key obstacles to consistent reporting (Carandang et al., 2024).
Meanwhile, the Department of Health continues to maintain the Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI) system, though integration and consistency remain ongoing challenges.
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The Pediatric Safety Ledger: Where Harm Happens — and How to Fix It
1) Safer births and the first hours of life.
The first day of life remains the most dangerous. According to UNICEF’s Levels and Trends in Child Mortality 2024, 2.3 million newborns died in the first month of life globally in 2023, averaging 6,300 deaths each day. Most were preventable, caused by sepsis, prematurity, or birth asphyxia. In the Philippines, Unang Yakap continues to be a critical, low-cost standard.
2) Medication safety for little bodies.
Children are especially vulnerable to dosing errors. Based on PGH chart reviews, medication errors occurred in 97.8 percent of admissions, with Pediatrics logging the highest error rates (Pasco et al., 2021). A Palawan study echoed this, citing workload and training gaps as main causes (Faller et al., 2023). These findings underscore the need for bar-code scanning, standardized dosing charts, and double-check protocols.
3) Infection prevention where it counts most.
Neonates are highly susceptible to hospital-acquired infections. WHO estimates that up to 80 percent of harm in ambulatory and primary care is preventable through basic measures such as hand hygiene and catheter care bundles (WHO, 2023). Embedding these into hospital accreditation and licensing systems can reduce severe outcomes like bloodstream infections and pneumonia.
4) Diagnostic safety for nonverbal and complex cases.
For nonverbal patients like infants, missed or delayed recognition of sepsis or congenital disorders can be fatal. WHO recommends structured escalation protocols and handoff tools such as SBAR. Listening to parents, experts say, often shortens diagnostic delays.
5) Vaccine safety you can see.
According to the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS), the DOH, WHO, and UNICEF convened in Manila on 28 February 2025 to update the AEFI Surveillance Manual, improving definitions, causality assessment, and reporting processes to strengthen public confidence (NCIRS, 2025).
Where the Numbers Point Filipinos Next
The global arithmetic of harm remains daunting. WHO estimates unsafe care leads to over 3 million deaths each year, more than half preventable (WHO, 2023). Pediatric and neonatal intensive care units amplify risks, with international data showing adverse event rates exceeding 90 percent in pediatric ICUs and 50 percent in general wards (WHO, 2025). Even modest improvements in dosing, line care, and infection control could save thousands.
In the Philippines, child survival metrics are improving slowly. UNICEF reported under-five mortality at 27 per 1,000 live births in 2023, with neonatal mortality at 14 per 1,000. PSA’s 2024 provisional data show infant deaths concentrated in CALABARZON and Metro Manila, while underserved regions such as BARMM face higher proportional risks. Moreover, outbreaks, disasters, and system surges continue to threaten fragile gains.
Experts stress low-cost, high-impact measures: universal compliance with Unang Yakap, wider newborn screening coverage, and stronger pharmacovigilance and infection prevention systems. These interventions, they argue, yield the highest returns in both child health and public trust.
A Culture Shift Wrapped in Orange Light
The Philippines’ policy backbone is clear, but cultural change is now demanded. AO 2020-0007 outlines national patient safety duties, yet a 2024 Metrics Matter study observed only partial compliance in hospitals. AO 2011-0009 requires pharmacovigilance reporting, yet under-reporting persists.
Unang Yakap remains a globally endorsed newborn standard, and RA 9288 guarantees every Filipino baby access to screening. Most recently, the February 2025 AEFI working group signaled a renewed commitment to vaccine safety.
However, symbolism also matters. The orange lights illuminating hospitals and landmarks tonight are not just for show, they signal a collective promise: less blame and more learning, less silence and more partnership with families, and more reliability where it matters most. This culture shift begins at the bedside, in every checklist signed, every handoff given, and every parent heard.
From Color to Culture: WPSD 2025’s Call in the Philippines
WPSD 2025’s child-and-newborn lens is more than a theme; it is a strategy for resilience. Protecting safety “from the start” means fewer critical-care admissions, reduced financial strain on families, fewer legal disputes for hospitals, and stronger public trust in the health system.
The Philippines already has the tools. AO 2020-0007 mandates safety systems in hospitals. Unang Yakap lowers neonatal deaths at minimal cost. RA 9288 mandates early detection of congenital and metabolic conditions. And the updated AEFI surveillance program promises more transparent communication with parents (NCIRS, 2025).
Thus, when hospitals and city halls glow orange, the message is clear. This is not only awareness, but also a call to action: to make pediatric rounds safer, to ensure every ENC step is completed, to double-check before discharge, and to keep families at the heart of care.
That is how color becomes culture, and how a campaign translates into fewer harmed children, healthier childhoods, and a stronger, more trusted Philippine health system.
