WHO Celebrates 75th Anniversary, Seeks Health Equity

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

As the World Health Organisation (WHO) marks 75 years of existence, the global health authority has urged countries to promote health equity in the face of unprecedented threats to mankind.

In a statement to commemorate the day, the Director-General of WHO, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, urged governments and leaders to take action to protect and invest in health and care workers who are at the forefront of the response to health and climate emergencies

WHO would mark its 75th anniversary, along with its 194 Member-states and other partners on April 7, 2023.

Seventy-five years ago, in the aftermath of the deadliest and most destructive war in human history, the Constitution of the WHO came into force via a treaty between the nations of the world, who recognised that health was not only a fundamental human right, but also fundamental to peace and security.

Ghebreyesus said over the past seven and a half decades, there has been extraordinary progress in protecting people from diseases and destruction, including smallpox eradication, reducing the incidence of polio by 99 per cent, saving millions of lives through childhood immunisation, declines in maternal mortality and improving health and well-being for millions more.

“The history of WHO demonstrates what is possible when nations come together for a common purpose,” said Ghebreyesus.

The WHO Director-General added: “We have much to be proud of, but much work to do to realise our founding vision of the highest attainable standard of health for all people.

“We continue to face vast inequities in access to health services, major gaps in the world’s defences against health emergencies, and threats from health harming products and the climate crisis. We can only meet these global challenges with global cooperation.”

To meet these challenges, Ghebreyesus urged countries to take urgent action to protect, support and expand the health workforce as a strategic priority.

He said investments in education, skills and decent jobs for health needed to be prioritised to meet the rapidly growing demand for health and avert a projected shortage of 10 million health workers by 2030; primarily in low- and middle-income countries.

According to him, a global education programme on basic emergency care targeting 25 per cent of nurses and midwives from 25 low- and middle-income countries by the end of 2025 was also recently announced by WHO.

“This 25x25x25 emergency care programme will provide nurses and midwives with the skills and competencies to make a major difference in saving lives and reducing disabilities,” he said.

Beyond the next 75 years and close to the turn of the next century, Ghebreyesus said a renewed commitment to health equity would be the key to addressing future health challenges.

“In the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic, WHO’s roadmap to recovery includes an urgent paradigm shift towards promoting health and well-being and preventing disease by addressing its root causes and creating the conditions for health to thrive.

“WHO is urging countries to provide health by prioritizing primary health care as the foundation of universal health coverage,” he added.

The WHO DG said the COVID-19 pandemic showed that protecting health was fundamental, “to our economies, societies, security and stability, adding that learning from the worst pandemic in recent history.

“WHO stands ready to support the countries of the world as they negotiate a pandemic accord, the revision of the International Health Regulations and other financial, governance and operational initiatives to prepare the world for future pandemics”.

He further noted that in the past five years, WHO had invested in science and digital health, creating a Science Division led by the Organisation’s first Chief Scientist.

He maintained that countries should protect the public from misinformation and disinformation.

He also said the future of health depends on how well we power health through science, research, innovation, data, digital technologies, and partnerships.