The World Health Day is a global health awareness day celebrated every year on 7 April, under the sponsorship of the World Health Organization (WHO), as well as other related organizations.
World Health Day is one of eight official global health campaigns marked by WHO, along with World Tuberculosis Day, World Immunization Week, World Malaria Day, World No Tobacco Day, World AIDS Day, World Blood Donor Day, and World Hepatitis Day.
What is World Health Day about?
7 April 2020 is the day to celebrate the work of nurses and midwives and remind world leaders of the critical role they play in keeping the world healthy. Nurses and other health workers are at the forefront of COVID-19 response – providing high quality, respectful treatment, and care, leading community dialogue to address fears and questions and, in some instances, collecting data for clinical studies. Quite simply, without nurses, there would be no response.
In this International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife, World Health Day will highlight the current status of nursing and around the world. WHO and its partners will make a series of recommendations to strengthen the nursing and midwifery workforce.
This will be vital if we are to achieve national and global targets related to universal health coverage, maternal and child health, infectious and non-communicable diseases including mental health, emergency preparedness and response, patient safety and the delivery of integrated, people-centered care, amongst others.
We are calling for your support on World Health Day to ensure that the nursing and midwifery workforces are strong enough to ensure that everyone, everywhere gets the healthcare they need.
World Health Day 2020 Theme
Tagline For World Health Day 2020: support nurses and midwives
Nurses are the backbone of any health system. Today, many nurses find themselves on the frontline in the battle against COVID-19,’ said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. ‘This report is a stark reminder of the unique role they play and a wakeup call to ensure they get the support they need to keep the world healthy.’
The report, by the World Health Organization (WHO) in partnership with the International Council of Nurses (ICN) and Nursing Now, reveals that today, there are 28 million nurses worldwide. Between 2013 and 2018, nursing numbers increased by 4.7 million. But this still leaves a global shortfall of 5.9 million – with the greatest gaps found in countries in Africa, South East Asia and the WHO Eastern Mediterranean region as well as some parts of Latin America.
Revealingly, more than 80 percent of the world’s nurses work in countries that are home to half of the world’s population. And one in every eight nurses practices in a country other than the one where they were born or trained. Aging also threatens the nursing workforce: one out of six of the world’s nurses are expected to retire in the next 10 years.
WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION ON COVID 19
WHO releases guidelines to help countries maintain essential health services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The best defense against any outbreak is a strong health system,” stressed WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “COVID-19 is revealing how fragile many of the world’s health systems and services are, forcing countries to make difficult choices on how to best meet the needs of their people.”
To help countries navigate through these challenges, the World Health Organization (WHO) has updated operational planning guidelines in balancing the demands of responding directly to COVID-19 while maintaining essential health service delivery and mitigating the risk of system collapse. This includes a set of targeted immediate actions that countries should consider at national, regional, and local level to reorganize and maintain access to high-quality essential health services for all.
#WORLDHEALTHDAY
It’s #WorldHealthDay! Take a minute to say #ThanksHealthHeroes! https://t.co/2OdVnDfL41
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) April 7, 2020
Dear Earth,
Get well, soon.
Salute to all healthcare workers around the world—our frontline warriors—for your selfless service and courage to help keep us safe. You are the world’s true heroes. #WorldHealthDay2020 pic.twitter.com/yfcIiW4MWD
— Scott Kelly (@StationCDRKelly) April 7, 2020
The doctors, nurses & all health workers have selflessly devoted their time and effort in keeping us safe as we battle COVID-19. This #WorldHealthDay is an ode to their compassion and love for their work. A Big Thank You!✨💜
— Shraddha (@ShraddhaKapoor) April 7, 2020
Nurses, doctors, paramedics, and all health care workers are working around the clock to keep us safe – and on this #WorldHealthDay, we really can’t thank them enough. But they need all of us to do our part too and #StayHome. My full statement: https://t.co/CyjeTHzWhQ
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) April 7, 2020
World Health Day 2020: Healthy choices to make today
1. Eat a balanced diet
Your diet can affect your health in various ways. As it is said, you are what you eat. A healthy and balanced diet can prevent several diseases. Your daily diet should include plenty of nutrients. Make sure that you add enough protein to your diet
2. Maintain a healthy weight
Obesity is linked to several health issues. A healthy weight can help you reduce the risk of several diseases. Regular exercise and a healthy diet can help you maintain a healthy weight. Exercise will help you burn calories and stay fit.
3. Give equal attention to your mental health
Many just focus on their physical health and do give the required attention to their mental health. Your mental health can affect your day to day activities. Simple practices like meditation or breathing exercises can help you stay stress-free and give a boost to your mental health.
4. Remember smoking kills
You might have this a thousand times, quit smoking. Smoking can negatively affect more than your lungs. Even a single smoking session is bad for your health. You should follow strategies to quit smoking. If you are finding it hard to quit, seek medical help.
“The day marks the founding of the World Health Organization (WHO) and aims to draw attention to important health issues facing the world each year. WHO is a working body under the UN which aims to address issues and emergencies pertaining to health on a global scale.”
