On 7th April every year, World Health Day is celebrated across the world to disseminate knowledge and create awareness about human health. The day is celebrated worldwide by the government, non-government, NGOs including various health organizations at many places by organizing programmes relating to the public health issues and awareness.
This week, on the occasion of World Health Day, ISO (International Organization for Standardization) is launching a social media campaign to raise awareness about the importance of ensuring health standards are in place everywhere in the world. The global #healthstandards campaign which runs from 4th to 8th April 2016, will bring together different stakeholders in the standardization community, including ISO’s members, to talk about the significance of International Standards for health.
Why do we need Health Standards?
Standards ensure things work, from keeping bugs at the bay of our medical devices to making sure all the important medical information is clearly labelled.
The campaign will look at the wide scope of health standards and how they can help set up an environment that ensures the best possible conditions for healthcare professionals to do their job. It also focuses on standards that contribute to our health and well-being, helping us meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3, which aspires to “ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages”.
Beat diabetes’ is the theme picked by World Health Organisation (WHO) for World Health Day 2016. In India, diabetes has been growing at an alarming rate mainly from unhealthy eating habits, stress and lack of physical activity. 9 % of adults of 18 years and above suffered from diabetes in 2014 and the disease was responsible for over 1.5 million deaths in 2012.