By Emma Black

Everyone has a role to play in medicines safety, by reporting suspected side effects, each of us can help make medicines safer for all, and this is the core message of MedSafetyWeek 2025, now marking its tenth anniversary, the pharmacy Board of Sierra Leone (PBSL) joins more than 130 partner organisations worldwide in this global awareness campaign, which runs from 3–9 November 2025, together, we are encouraging patients, families, and healthcare professionals to report any suspected side effects because every report can help protect others.

Medicines save lives and improve the health of millions across the world, but they can sometimes cause unintended side effects, when these side effects are reported, regulators can investigate and take action to improve medicines safety, agencies such as PBSL rely on reports from both patients and healthcare professionals to identify potential risks and ensure safer use of medicines, however, research suggests that only 5–10% of all suspected side effects are ever reported.

In his statement, Dr. James P. Komeh, Head of Agency, noted this means we often see only the tip of the iceberg, which can delay the identification of important safety issues, through #MedSafetyWeek, we want more people to understand that their report truly matters.”

Many people do not report suspected side effects simply because they do not know they can, do not believe it makes a difference, or forget to do so, since its launch in 2016, #MedSafetyWeek has worked to address these barriers by raising awareness of why, how, and where to report side effects, the 2025 tenth-anniversary edition is the largest to date, with organisations in 117 countries sharing the #MedSafetyWeek message in more than 60 languages.

By reporting suspected side effects, you and I have the power to make medicines safer for everyone. Speaking up could protect someone else,” says the head of agency, medicines safety doesn’t depend only on doctors, pharmacists, or regulators everyone has a role to play, that is the heart of this campaign.

From 3–9 November 2025, everyone can support #MedSafetyWeek by using the campaign hashtag and sharing posts from PBSL and other participating organisations, in Sierra Leone, the campaign will feature collaboration with the pharmaceutical Society of Sierra Leone, the Young Pharmacists Group, the National Association of Pharmaceutical Students, the Sierra Leone Medical and Dental Council, the Sierra Leone Medical and Dental Association, the Sierra Leone Nurses Association, and many other local partners.

Copyright –Published in Expo Times News on Monday, 24th November 2025 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)