Who’s the last person most people see before dying? A doctor. So stay out of hospitals and you may live longer.

The World Health Organization said today millions of people die each year from medical errors and infections linked to health care and going into hospital is far riskier than flying.

"If you were admitted to hospital tomorrow in any country… your chances of being subjected to an error in your care would be something like 1 in 10. Your chances of dying due to an error in health care would be 1 in 300," Liam Donaldson, the WHO’s newly appointed envoy for patient safety, told a news briefing.

This compared with a risk of dying in an air crash of about 1 in 10 million passengers, according to Donaldson, formerly England’s chief medical officer.

More than 50 percent of acquired infections can be prevented if health care workers clean their hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based handrub before treating patients.

Risk comparisons are also risky.