April 7, 2023
World Health Day is celebrated every year on April, 7. In 2023, this date also marks the 75th anniversary of the World Health Organization (WHO). This is an opportunity to look back at the history of the WHO and advances in public health, and to talk about the contribution of our medical writing agency to some of these programs.
The creation of an international health organization was proposed by the representatives of Brazil and China in April 1945, during the conference to set up the United Nations (UN) that was held in San Francisco. The goal was to “promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable – so everyone, everywhere can attain the highest level of health and well-being.”
In the begining, the WHO was governed by 61 Member States but this number has now grown to 194 members. More than 7,000 people including doctors, epidemiologists, scientists, and managers work for the WHO. The headquarters are located in Geneva, Switzerland.
The WHO definition of health, established in 1946 and still in force to this day, is as follows: “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
The role of the WHO is to lead and coordinate global health within the United Nations system. The WHO helps countries achieve their health goals by supporting their health policies. With the goal of “improving health for everyone, everywhere”, the WHO ensures “the safety of the air people breathe, the food they eat, the water they drink – and the medicines and vaccines they need”.
A timeline of significant achievements over the past seven decades has just been published. Much progress has been made in public health, but challenges remain to ensure that everyone can “enjoy the highest attainable standard of health” as health inequalities and disparities in access to health services persist.
Every year, World Health Day is celebrated on April, 7. This date corresponds to the anniversary of the entry into force of the WHO Constitution in 1948. In 2023, the WHO celebrates “75 years of improving public health“.
The theme chosen for World Health Day 2023 is “Health For All“, i.e., the WHO’s ultimate goal.
If you would like to join the WHO’s efforts to achieve Health For All, you can find several resources on these dedicated pages:
For many years, Santé Active Edition – Synergy Pharm has been contributing to various projects aimed at fighting malaria and neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), in particular sleeping sickness, through:
Our medical writing team is proud to contribute to the various programs supported by the WHO in favour of Health For All, most notably through our collaborations with Sanofi and DNDi!
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