07 Apr CELEBRATING WORLD HEALTH DAY
World Health Day is celebrated every year on the 7th of April to commemorate the anniversary of the founding of the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1948. The day is celebrated annually with the World Health Organization’s aim to discuss health-related issues and to draw attention to specific health issues concerning people across the world.
Each year for this date, a theme is chosen that highlights an area of priority concern for WHO. In the face of the current pandemic, a polluted planet, and an increasing incidence of diseases, the theme for World Health Day 2022 is Our Planet, Our Health. This call presents a unique opportunity for a green and healthy recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic that puts the health of individuals and the planet at the center of the action and fosters a movement to create societies focused on well-being.
Amid growing pollution on the planet, diseases like cancer, asthma, and heart diseases are increasing rapidly. There is an urgent need to focus global attention on the urgent actions needed to keep the planet healthy which then translates to healthy people. This is what this day is about, intentionally having conversations and coming up with solutions to having a healthy planet.
Air pollution, contaminated water, inadequate sanitation including solid waste management, risks related to certain hazardous chemicals, and negative impacts of climate change are the most pressing environmental public health threats in the Region. These threats to public health are compounded by weak governance practices and potential inequities in health as well as by limited leadership, expertise, and resources in the health sector.
The theme of Our Planet, Our Health should be a powerful reminder to us that the resolution of many of these issues are beyond the exclusive purview of the health sector and, as a consequence, an effective response will demand the whole- of- government and whole- of- society approaches.
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