By Gom Mirian
The World Health Organization (WHO) in a bid to celebrate its 75th anniversary has called on 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.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General made the call in Abuja on Tuesday in a message issued ahead to mark the WHO’s 75th anniversary, along with its 194-member states and other partners on April 7, by calling for a renewed drive for health equity.
According to Ghebreyesus, “The history of WHO demonstrates what is possible when nations come together for a common purpose.
“We have much to be proud of, but much work to do to realize 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 defenses 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, WHO is urging countries to take urgent action to protect, support and expand the health workforce as a strategic priority.”
He further stressed that investments in education, skills and decent jobs for health need to be prioritized 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.
He said looking forward to the next 75 years and close to the turn of the next century, a renewed commitment to health equity will be the key to addressing future health challenges.
His words: “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.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that protecting health is fundamental to our economies, societies, security and stability. 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.
“Over the past five years, WHO has invested in science and digital health, creating a Science Division led by the Organization’s first Chief Scientist.
“This has come at a time when science is under sustained attack every day. Countries must protect the public from misinformation and disinformation.
“The future of health depends on how well we power health through science, research, innovation, data, digital technologies, and partnership”.
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