World Health Day: All you need to know

The World Health Organization (WHO) is organizing their 70th annual World Health Day and they’re dedicating it to the fight for universal healthcare for all.

According to the organization’s website, their goal is a world where everyone has access to the healthcare services they need without having to worry about going into debt paying for them.

Half the world is currently lacking access to appropriate medical services, the organization reports. Another 100 million people have been forced into poverty from paying for medical bills or services. 

The World Health Organization is dedicating World Health Day 2018 to the fight for universal healthcare for all

The World Health Organization wants to see 1 billion more people gain access to the healthcare and services they need by 2023. This initiative starts on World Health Day and is aided by all who participate. 

Want to know more about World Health Day 2018? We’ve got you covered.

When is World Health Day?

World Health Day 2018 is Saturday, April 7, 2018.

World Health Day theme 2018

The theme for World Health Day 2018 is Universal Health Coverage: Everyone, Everywhere. 

According to the World Health Organization’s website: ‘WHO is calling on world leaders to live up to the pledges they made when they agreed the Sustainable Development Goals in 2015, and commit to concrete steps to advance #HealthForAll. This means ensuring that everyone, everywhere can access essential quality health services without facing financial hardship.’ 

How to get involved World Health Day 2018 

This World Health Day, the World Health Organization is urging those interested in participating to reach out to appropriate government agencies and officials, parliamentary health committees, civil society organizations, high-profile individuals about healthcare-related issues.

Their website suggests participating ‘in structured conversations’, coming to whomever you’re speaking with the demands of as large a group of people as possible and, if you can, teaming up with grassroots organizations that support the universal healthcare initiative.

You can also help by spreading the word on social media. The World Health Organization has created perfect squares to be used on your social media platforms on World Health Day 2018. Check them out here. 

Countries with universal healthcare 

Several countries around the world have universal health care. Uzbekistan, the United Arab Emirates, Trinidad and Tobago, Switzerland,Sweden, Seychelles, Russia, Peru, Norway, New Zealand, Monaco, Luxembourg, Israel, Greece, Germany, France, Denmark, Australia and many others have universal healthcare in place for their citizens.

As The Atlantic noted in a 2012 report, America is one of the only countries in the developed world that doesn’t have such a system.



Read more at DailyMail.co.uk