Unsafe Medicines Are a Hidden Patient Safety Crisis
Across Africa, unsafe medicines threaten lives, weaken health systems and erode public trust. Explore the risks, evidence and impact. Every day, millions of Africans depend on medicines to prevent illness, treat disease and improve quality of life.
Yet unsafe medicines remain a major threat. Evidence shows that an estimated 20% of cancer medications across Kenya, Ethiopia, Cameroon and Malawi in formal and informal settings are substandard or falsified.
Patients across the continent continue to face risks from:
- Substandard and falsified medicines
- Weak surveillance systems
- Medication-related errors and misuse
- Regulatory gaps and supply chain vulnerabilities
The impact is profound:
- Treatment failure
- Delayed recovery
- Preventable harm
- Antimicrobial resistance