- On 7th April, the World Health Day, a global health awareness day is celebrated every year, under the sponsorship of the World Health Organization (WHO), as well as other related organizations.
- It is observed annually to create awareness about health and wellbeing and draws the attention of people from all around the world to highlight important health issues. It is very imperative to be prepared mentally, physically, and financially for all kinds of uncertainties during these constantly evolving times.
- In 1948, the WHO held the First World Health Assembly. The Assembly decided to celebrate 7 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 by the organization to draw worldwide attention to a subject of major importance to global health each year.
- 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 11 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, World Chagas Disease Day, World Patient Safety Day, World Antimicrobial Awareness Week and World Hepatitis Day.
- The theme of the World Health Day 2021 is “Together for a fairer, healthier world”. On this occasion, the World Health Organization (WHO) calls for urgent action to eliminate health inequities and mobilize action to attain better health for all and leave no one behind.
- Inequities have always existed. Despite improvements in health outcomes globally and in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, these gains have not been shared equally across different countries or communities.
- The COVID-19 pandemic has had grave consequences for people already experiencing inequities. The pandemic has disproportionately impacted those people already socially, economically, or geographically disadvantaged, and evidence shows a worsening trend of dispararities and inequity across the Region.
- On World Health Day 2021, WHO is calling on leaders to monitor health inequalities and address their root causes to ensure that everyone has access to the living and working conditions that are conducive to good health and to quality health services where and when they need them, and to invest in primary health care to achieve health for all by all.
- The WHO Regional Director noted that the regional“Vision 2023: Health for all by all: a call for action and solidarity”, was aligned with this year’s theme and that achieving health for all by all was essential to meet the challenges of today and to build the resilience of tomorrow.
