World Health Day 2022 sees the World Health Organisation send a global message: “Well-being societies are healthy societies.”
World Health Day is celebrated every year on 7 April. The World Health Day campaign was started by the World Health Organization (WHO) during its first health meeting in 1948. It was implemented in 1950 with the aim of promoting awareness of physical and mental health and ensuring necessary support. The purpose of celebrating the day is to make the world realize the importance of universal health coverage.
World Health Day also marks the establishment of WHO. The organization strives to promote dialogue and draw attention to a topic of major importance to global health through the theme of the day every year.
The theme for World Health Day 2022 is ‘Our planet, our health’. The WHO states, “In the midst of a pandemic, a polluted planet, increasing diseases like cancer, asthma, heart disease, on WHD 2022, WHO will focus global attention on urgent actions needed to keep humans and the planet healthy and foster a movement to create societies focused on well-being.”
More than 13 million deaths worldwide are attributed to avoidable environmental causes according to the global health body. “This includes the climate crisis which is the single biggest health threat facing humanity. The climate crisis is also a health crisis,” it states.
“Well-being societies are healthy societies,” says WHO.
“Over 90% of people breathe unhealthy air resulting from burning of fossil fuels. A heating world is seeing mosquitos spread diseases farther and faster than ever before. Extreme weather events, land degradation and water scarcity are displacing people and affecting their health. Pollution and plastics are found at the bottom of our deepest oceans, the highest mountains, and have made their way into our food chain. Systems that produce highly processed, unhealthy foods and beverages are driving a wave of obesity, increasing cancer and heart disease while generating a third of global greenhouse gas emissions,” the message on the WHO website read.
Goals Of A Well-Being Society
According to WHO, welfare economy has three goals – human welfare, equity and ecological sustainability.
“These goals are translated into long-term investments, well-being budgets, social protection and legal and fiscal strategies. Breaking these cycles of destruction for the planet and human health requires legislative action, corporate reform and individuals to be supported and incentivized to make healthy choices,” it adds.
