While healthcare has brought enormous benefits to mankind, it is not without risks. Adverse events due to unsafe care are one of the 10 leading causes of death and disability globally. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that there is a one-in-3,000,000 risk of dying while travelling by airplane.
In contrast, the risk of dying due to a preventable medical accident while receiving health care, is estimated to be one in 300. In fact, as many as one in every 10 patients is harmed while receiving hospital care in high-income countries.