Daily Times

The World Health Organization (WHO) observes World Health Day on 7 April every year. The contribution of doctors, nurses and other health workers is acknowledged on this day.

Now at a time when the whole world is facing a health crisis as we fight the coronavirus pandemic, healthcare professionals are the frontline soldiers in this war and the World Health Day 2020 carries more importance than ever.

The tagline of World Health Day 2020 is ‘Support nurses and midwives’. To generate attention towards their contribution during the COVID-19 outbreak, the World Health Day will “highlight the current status of nursing around the world”.

WHO also pledges to make a “series of recommendations to strengthen” the nursing and midwifery workforce.

The year 2020 has also been designated by the World Health Assembly as the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife.

The World Health Day is observed to celebrate the efforts put in by nurses and midwives, and “remind world leaders of the critical role [that] they play in keeping the world healthy”.

According to the WHO, a strengthened workforce of nurses and midwives is significant to ensure that everyone gets the healthcare they need and for countries to achieve their “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”.

World Health Day comes this year at a time when the entire globe is struggling to contain the spread of novel coronavirus. Over 1 million people have been infected by the deadly contagion while more than 60,000 have lost their lives to Covid-19 infection.