17 September 2026 | World Patient Safety Day
This World Patient Safety Day, we are reminded that safe healthcare is not only about what happens inside a hospital or clinic. For people living with chronic conditions, health and safety are part of everyday life: at home; in the community; at the clinic; and wherever they receive support.
The theme for World Patient Safety Day 2026 is “Safe care for noncommunicable diseases”, with the slogan “Safe care for life!” The World Health Organization (WHO) is calling for greater attention to the safety of people living with conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and chronic respiratory disease, who often require ongoing care and support over many years.
For Eat Better South Africa (EBSA), this message is particularly important.
Safe care begins with understanding
Living with a chronic condition can be overwhelming. People may receive information from doctors, nurses, family members, community health workers, social media and many other sources.
Sometimes that information can be confusing or contradictory.
People need to understand their health, their treatment and the choices they can make to support their wellbeing. Health education and health literacy are therefore important parts of safer care.
EBSA’s role is to provide accessible nutrition and lifestyle education and practical support that can help people better understand the relationship between food, lifestyle and their health.
Our goal is not to replace medical care or medical advice. Rather, we work alongside existing health services and community structures to provide additional education, encouragement and support.
Chronic conditions require more than a once-off consultation
For someone living with diabetes, high blood pressure or another chronic condition, healthcare is not something that happens only when they visit a clinic.
It happens every day in:
- What we eat.
- How active we are.
- How we manage stress.
- How we sleep.
- Whether we understand our condition.
- Whether we take our prescribed medication correctly.
- Whether we attend follow-up appointments.
- Whether we have someone to support and encourage us.
These everyday factors form part of a person’s ongoing health journey.
WHO emphasises that safety risks for people living with NCDs can arise across the entire continuum of care from prevention and diagnosis to treatment, long-term management and self-care.
This is why community-based support matters.
People must be partners in their own care
One of the important messages of World Patient Safety Day 2026 is that people living with NCDs should be partners in safe care, rather than passive recipients of healthcare. Meaningful engagement, lived experience and health literacy can contribute to safer and better-quality care.
At EBSA, we believe that people deserve to be treated with dignity, listened to, and given information in a way that they can understand and use in their everyday lives.
Nutrition education should not be about telling people what they are doing wrong.
It should be about helping people understand why certain choices may affect their health and giving them practical tools to make informed choices within the realities of their own lives.
Community health is everyone’s responsibility
Safe care cannot be achieved by healthcare professionals alone.
It requires collaboration between health facilities, healthcare workers, community health workers, patients, families, community organisations and programmes that support people outside the formal healthcare system.
This is particularly important in communities where people may face barriers such as limited access to healthcare, financial pressures, limited health literacy or difficulty navigating different services. WHO identifies these wider factors as contributors to safety risks for people living with NCDs.
EBSA’s community-based approach is designed to help bridge some of these gaps by bringing practical nutrition education and support closer to people where they live.
Through our Community Hubs, coaches, group sessions, WhatsApp support and partnerships with community organisations and health services, we aim to create additional opportunities for people to learn, ask questions and receive encouragement.
Safety also means knowing when to refer
An important part of responsible community-based support is recognising the boundaries of our role.
Nutrition education and lifestyle support should complement and not replace appropriate medical care.
When someone has a health concern that requires clinical assessment, medication management, diagnosis or medical treatment, they should be encouraged and supported to access the appropriate healthcare professional.
Strong referral pathways between community programmes and health services can therefore contribute to safer, more coordinated care.
From patients to partners
World Patient Safety Day 2026 asks us to think beyond individual encounters with healthcare and consider the entire journey of someone living with an NCD.
At EBSA, we believe that journey should include:
Education – so people understand their health and the choices available to them.
Empowerment – so people can participate meaningfully in their own care.
Support – so people do not have to navigate lifestyle changes alone.
Collaboration – so community programmes and healthcare services can work together.
Referral – so people can be connected to appropriate professional care when needed.
Dignity – so every person is treated with respect and compassion.
Safe care is not a single event. It is a continuous commitment.
On 17 September, EBSA stands with the global patient safety community in supporting the WHO’s call for “Safe care for life!”
Because for someone living with a chronic condition, safety is not just about what happens during a visit to the clinic.
It is about having the knowledge, support and connections to stay as safe and healthy as possible — every day, throughout life.
World Patient Safety Day 2026
Safe care for noncommunicable diseases
Safe care for life!