On World Health Day, WHO celebrates 71th anniversary with universal health coverage theme'
The WHO's theme for this year is 'Universal Coverage: Everyone, Everywhere'.
(Web Desk) – Every year, the World Health Day is celebrated on April 7 as a global health awareness day under the sponsorship of the World Health Organisation (WHO). The day celebrates the establishment of the WHO on April 7, 1948 with a clear and ambitious vision: a world in which all people enjoy the highest attainable standard of health.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on World Health Day 2019 released a statement to express the organisation’s resolve of striving to improve standards of health across the globe.
“Although we have made enormous progress in recent years against some of the world’s leading causes of death and disease, we still have a lot of work to do to realize that vision,” he stated.
“Today, half the world’s population cannot access essential health services. Millions of women give birth without help from a skilled attendant; millions of children miss out on vaccinations against killer diseases, and millions suffer and die because they can’t get treatment for HIV, TB, and malaria,” he added.
“In 2019, this is simply unacceptable.”
“The good news is that there is a growing movement to address these inequalities.
Last October, we saw a momentous commitment to health for all in Kazakhstan with the signing of the historic Declaration of Astana on primary health care.”
“This was a key milestone. Strong and sustainable primary health care is the bedrock of universal health coverage, and the best defence against outbreaks and other health emergencies,” Ghebreyesus said.
“Although there will always be outbreaks and other disasters with health consequences, investing in stronger health systems can help to prevent or mitigate them.
In the Sustainable Development Goals, all countries have committed to achieving universal health coverage (UHC) by 2030. To meet that target, we need to see 1 billion people benefitting from UHC in the next 5 years,” he maintained.
“This is not an unattainable dream, nor will it require billions of dollars to implement. UHC is achievable, right here, right now, for all of us.
Health for all is possible even with health systems that are less than perfect – countries at many different income levels are making progress with the resources they have,” he stressed.
“On Friday 5 April, WHO colleagues joined hands with staff from health and development organizations around the world to symbolize our shared commitment to ensuring health for everyone, everywhere.
This shared commitment will be fundamental as we move forward to the next milestone in the global push towards universal health coverage – at the United Nations High-Level meeting on Universal Health Coverage in New York later this year,” he emphasised.
“At that meeting, world leaders will have the opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to UHC to ensuring that every mother can give birth safely, that every child survives past its fifth birthday, and that no one dies simply because they are poor.
As we celebrate World Health Day, I pay tribute to health workers all over the world who are working to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. I especially thank the dedicated personnel from WHO and our partners who are working around the clock in extreme circumstances, including in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mozambique and Yemen,” he concluded.
What are the WHO’s principles?
The World Health Organisation was founded on the principle that everyone in the world should be able to realise their right to the highest possible level of health.
“Health for all” has therefore been the organisation’s guiding vision for more than seven decades.
It’s also the impetus behind the current organisation-wide drive to support countries in moving towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
The WHO has called on world leaders to commit to concrete steps to advance the health of all people.
This means ensuring that everyone, everywhere can access essential quality health services without facing financial hardship.
The WHO will maintain a high-profile focus on UHC though a series of events throughout 2019, starting today.
It’s main focus will be global and local conversations about ways to achieve health for all.
Why this year’s theme of Universal Health Coverage so important?
The theme of this year’s World Health Day is “Universal health coverage: everyone, everywhere”.
Universal health coverage means everyone has access to vital health services and covers the full spectrum of essential services – disease prevention, good health promotion, treatment, rehabilitation and palliation.
The purpose of UHC is to ensure people are protected from being pushed into poverty due to the cost of healthcare.
Universal health coverage has become a major goal for health reform in many countries and is a priority objective of the WHO.
According to the WHO, healthcare services are severely lacking in at least half the world.
Healthcare costs have plunged more than 100 million people globally into a life of poverty, where they live on less than $1.90 a day.
More than 800 million people – around 12 percent of the world’s population – spends at least 10 percent of their household budget to pay for healthcare.
The organisation aims to extend health coverage to more than one billion people by 2023.
