The World Health Organisation (WHO) was founded in 1948 and is a United Nations Agency. You will have heard about it on the news in recent years, especially relating to COVID 19.
WHO has many elements and promotes health across the globe, working to ensure that everyone can attain the highest level of health. Made up of over 8000 professionals, it coordinates the world’s response to health emergencies.
Which professionals are part of the World Health Organisation?
- Public Health experts
- Doctors
- Epidemiologists
- Scientists
- Managers
The WHO website contains a wealth of information and fact sheets relating to a number of topics. There are regional WHO websites for Africa, Americas, Europe, Eastern Mediterranean, South-East Asia and Western Pacific. This makes all information easy to find. As an example, the World Health Organisation has a Health Emergency Appeal for the crisis in Ukraine which can be found on the Europe regional website. This provides critical healthcare services for Ukraine and its neighbouring countries.
The World Health Organisation really does deal with a vast array of global health issues. As part of their world awareness of illnesses and disease, WHO focuses on 7 days and 2 weeks of global public health days, relating to:
- Tuberculosis
- Immunization
- Health
- No Tobacco
- Hepatitis
- Patient Safety
- Polio
- Flu
- AIDS
- Antimicrobial Awareness
WHO has an executive board made up of 34 technically qualified members. They are elected for a 3-year period. In May 2023, they are hosting the seventy-sixth World Health Assembly. You can view the principles that WHO are committed to on their website.
“Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” This is a principle that is clear and concise in its description which means we can all understand what is meant by “health”.
You can review the full website and find out more at https://www.who.int/