Living with a chronic disease often involves seeing several healthcare professionals, receiving different treatments and undergoing regular examinations. At every stage, a delay in diagnosis, a breakdown in communication or a gap in follow-up care can have consequences for a patient's health.

On World Patient Safety Day, observed on 17 September, the Health Directorate is joining the World Health Organization (WHO) campaign. Under the theme "Safe care for noncommunicable diseases", the 2026 edition highlights the importance of ensuring patient safety at every stage of the care pathway: prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment and follow-up.

Safe care means providing each patient with appropriate care based on scientific evidence and tailored to their individual circumstances. It also requires clear communication, patient involvement and effective coordination between healthcare professionals.

Noncommunicable diseases, also known as chronic diseases, are long-term conditions that are not transmitted from one person to another. They result from a combination of genetic, physiological, environmental, socio-economic and behavioural factors.

In Luxembourg, the main chronic diseases include cancers, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, musculoskeletal disorders, depression, dementia, obesity and diabetes. Their prevalence increases with age, making them a significant challenge in the context of an ageing population.

Ensuring a safe care pathway begins before disease develops. Prevention aims to reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases or delay their onset by addressing their main risk factors.

In Luxembourg, public health initiatives focus in particular on tobacco prevention, reducing alcohol consumption, and promoting a balanced diet and regular physical activity. Based on scientific evidence and supported by reliable information, these initiatives help people make choices that benefit their health and reduce their risk of disease.

Screening aims to detect a disease at an early stage, identify an abnormality that may indicate its presence, or determine whether there is an increased risk of developing it.

Luxembourg's organised national breast and colorectal cancer screening programmes help identify potential abnormalities at an earlier stage. This allows people to be promptly referred for further examinations and, where necessary, appropriate care.

A free national screening programme for familial hypercholesterolaemia is also offered to all children aged 18 months. It aims to identify this inherited condition at an early stage and prevent cardiovascular complications.

When carried out according to defined criteria and quality procedures, screening contributes to patient safety by ensuring that abnormal results are followed up and that patients are promptly referred to the appropriate healthcare professionals.

In Luxembourg, skills networks aim to strengthen the coordination and continuity of care for patients with chronic diseases or complex healthcare needs. They bring together doctors, healthcare professionals and healthcare facilities, as well as, where necessary, other organisations and stakeholders involved in patient care. The aim is to facilitate referrals and ensure consistent care throughout the patient pathway. Better coordination between those involved helps reduce information loss, gaps in follow-up care and the risks associated with fragmented care.

These networks include, for example, ParkinsonNet for neurodegenerative diseases, networks for chronic pain and immuno-rheumatology in adults and children (RiR), as well as diabetes and obesity networks for children (OBEDIA-Kids) and adults.

Press release by the Ministry of Health and Social Security