GENEVA, April 7: Each year on April 7th, the World Health Organization, WHO, celebrates World Health Day. World Health Day is a chance to celebrate health and remind world leaders that everyone should be able to access the health care they need, when and where they need it.
The WHO’s campaign for 2019 is focusing on ''Universal Health Coverage'' and ensuring that individuals across the world have access to the care that they need when they need it.
According to WHO, At least half of the world’s population still do not have full coverage of essential health services. About 100 million people are still being pushed into extreme poverty (defined as living on 1.90 USD or less a day) because they have to pay for health care. Over 800 million people (almost 12% of the world’s population) spent at least 10% of their household budgets to pay for health care. All UN Member States have agreed to try to achieve universal health coverage (UHC) by 2030, as part of the Sustainable Development Goals.
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The History of World Health Day dates back to the year 1948 when the World Health Assembly was held for the first time in Geneva by the WHO, and it was decided that World Health Day will be celebrated annually on April 7, every year. Different organisations across the world hold various events related to World Health Day on international levels.
This year's campaign aims to improve understanding of universal health coverage and the importance of primary health care as its foundation and to spur action from individuals, policy-makers and health-care workers to make universal health care a reality for everyone.
Advocacy events will be held around the world to fuel the momentum of the #HealthForAll movement and to highlight our goal of achieving a fairer, healthier world – in which no one is left behind.
The focus will be on equity and solidarity – on raising the bar for health for everyone, everywhere by addressing gaps in services, and leaving no one behind.
Universal health coverage means that all people have access to the quality health services they need, when and where they need them, without financial hardship. To make health for all a reality, governments need to invest in quality, accessible primary health care. Health workers need to care and advocate for patients and educate them on how to get and stay healthy. Individuals and communities need to be empowered to take care of their own health.
