As the people around the world mark the World Health Day, also the day of WHO’s birth, UN chief António Guterres has paid a rich tribute to the health workers around the globe who are on the frontline in the fight against novel coronavirus.
In his message, the United Nations Secretary-General said: “World Health Day this year comes at a very difficult time for all of us. We are more grateful than ever to all of our health workers fighting the #COVID19 pandemic. You make us proud and you inspire us. We stand with you and we count on you.”
The World Health Day is a global health awareness day celebrated every year on April 7, under the sponsorship of the World Health Organization (WHO) as well as other related organizations.
This year (2020) the World Health Day is celebrating the work of nurses and midwives and remind world leaders of the critical role they play in keeping the world healthy.
Nurses and other health workers are at the forefront of COVID-19 response. They are providing high quality, respectful treatment and care, leading community dialogue to address fears and questions and, in some instances, collecting data for clinical studies.
Quite simply, without nurses, there would be no response!
So, in this International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife, World Health Day aims at highlighting the current status of nursing around the world. WHO and its partners will make a series of recommendations to strengthen the nursing and midwifery workforce.
In its call for support on the Day, WHO asked everyone to ensure that the nursing and midwifery workforces are strong enough to ensure that everyone, everywhere gets the healthcare they need.
It said this will be vital if we are to achieve national and global targets related to universal health coverage, maternal and child health, infectious and non-communicable diseases including mental health, emergency preparedness and response, patient safety and the delivery of integrated, people-centered care, amongst others.