The World Health Day is a global health awareness day celebrated every year on 7th April, under the sponsorship of the World Health Organization (WHO), as well as other related organisations. In 1948, the WHO held the First World Health Assembly. The Assembly decided to celebrate 7th April of each year, with effect from 1950, as the World Health Day. The World Health Day is held to mark WHO’s founding and is seen as an opportunity for the organization to draw worldwide attention to a subject of major importance to global health each year.
World health day:
The WHO organizes international, regional and local events on the Day related to a particular theme. World Health Day is acknowledged by various governments and non-governmental organizations with interests in public health issues, who also organize activities and highlight their support in media reports, such as the Global Health Council. 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.
List of themes of world health day:
1995: Global Polio Eradication
1996: Healthy Cities for better life
1997: Emerging infectious diseases
1998: Safe motherhood
1999: Active ageing makes the difference
2000: Safe Blood starts with me
2001: Mental Health: stop exclusion, dare to care
2002: Move for health
2003: Shape the future of life: healthy environments for children
2004: Road safety
2005: Make every mother and child count
2006: Working together for health
2007: International health security
2008: Protecting health from the adverse effects of climate change
2009: Save lives, Make hospitals safe in emergencies
2010: Urbanization and health: make cities healthier
2011: Antimicrobial resistance: no action today, no cure tomorrow
2012: Good health adds life to years
2013: Healthy heart beat, Healthy blood pressure
2014: Vector-borne diseases: small bite, big threat
2015: Food safety
2016: Halt the rise: beat diabetes
2017: Depression: Let’s talk
2018: Universal Health Coverage
World health day 2018 theme:
Universal health coverage:
This year, the theme is Universal Health Coverage (UHC): everyone, everywhere. It is an opportunity for UHC2030 partners to accelerate progress towards universal health coverage. It will safeguard that everyone, everywhere should have access to essential quality of health services. People should not experience any financial hardship while getting quality medical service. As this year is WHO’s 70th Anniversary year, the organization has appealed the world leaders to live up to the pledges they made and agreed to in the Sustainable Development Goals in 2015 and for taking concrete actions to progress #HealthForAll.
WHO aims to inspire, motivate and guide all the UHC stakeholders so that they can fulfil their commitment towards Universal Health Coverage.
As per WHO, the goals are:
“Inspire by highlighting policy-makers’ power to transform the health of their nation and inviting them to drive policy change”.
“Inspire by sharing examples of how countries are already progressing towards UHC and encourage others to find their own path”.
“Monitor by providing tools for conversations and organized policy dialogue on how to advance UHC domestically or supporting such efforts in other countries.”