World Health Day
7 April, 2021 - 00:00

April 7 of each year marks the celebration of World Health Day. From its inception at the First Health Assembly in 1948 and since taking effect in 1950, the celebration has aimed to create awareness of a specific health theme to highlight a priority area of concern for the World Health Organization.

Over the past 50 years this has brought to light important health issues such as mental health, maternal and child care, and climate change. The celebration is marked by activities which extend beyond the day itself and serves as an opportunity to focus worldwide attention on these important aspects of global health.

As a worldwide event, World Health Day has a large number of wide-reaching aims and priorities. According to the World Health Organisation website, they include:

  • ‘To improve understanding of universal health coverage and the importance of primary health care as its foundation’.
  • ‘To spur action from individuals, policy-makers and health-care workers to make universal health care a reality for everyone’.
  • ‘Everyone should have the information and services they need to take care of their own health and the health of their families’.
  • ‘Skilled health workers providing quality, people-centred care; and policy-makers committed to investing in primary health care’.