World Health Day: History, Importance, Theme & Quotes

According to World Health Organization (WHO) observes World Health Day on 7 April every year. The contribution of doctors, nurses and other health workers is acknowledged on this day.

World Health Day 2024: Date

World Health Day is celebrated to spread awareness about the importance of health. In 1950 the first World Health Day was celebrated. The main focus of WHO is ‘Universal Healthcare’ to put into place strategies that healthcare accessible to different regions of the world.

World Health Day 2024: Theme

2020 is the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife, and WHO wants to highlight the significant roles which these two play in making the world a better place. “World Health Day 2020 Tagline is Support Nurses and Midwives” to honour the 200th birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale.

Themes of World Health Day

• 2006: “Working Together For Health”.
• 2007: “Invest in Health; Build a Safer Future”.
• 2008: It was “Protecting Health from Climate Change”.
• 2009: “Hospital in Hartford”.
• 2010: “Urbanization and Health” focused on ‘1000 cities, 1000 lives’ of urban health champions.
• 2011: the focus on dangerous, highly-resistant microorganisms was titled, “Antimicrobial Resistance and Its Global Spread”. In addition, they introduced six-point policy package to combat this menace.
• 2012: Slogan “Good Health Adds Life to Years” marked the focus on Ageing and Health.
• 2013: WHO focused on raising awareness of the causes and consequences of high blood pressure. Furthermore, they encouraged healthy behavior to mitigate HBP.
• 2014: “Small Bite, Big Threat”, put the spotlight on mosquitoes, sandflies, bugs, ticks, leeches, and snails.
• 2015: WHO promoted “Food Safety” (from food containing harmful bacteria, parasites, viruses or chemicals).
• 2016: WHO concentrated on diabetes: a largely preventable and treatable, non-communicable disease that is on the rise.
• 2017: “Depression: Let’s Talk”.
• 2018: “Universal Health Coverage: everyone, everywhere”.
• 2019: “Universal Health Coverage: everyone, everywhere”.
• 2020: “Support nurses and midwives”.

World Health Day: History

World Health Day marks the anniversary of the World Health Organisation which was founded in 1948. Therefore, in 1948 in Geneva, the World Health Assembly was held for the first time and it was decided to celebrate annually on 7th April as World Health Day. On this day, by WHO variety of events with a particular theme are organised at the international and national level.

Importance of World Health Day

WHO started the World Health Day campaign in 1950 with the motive of promoting awareness about physical and mental health and offer the necessary support.

The day is one of eight official global health campaigns marked by World Health Organisation (WHO), along with World Tuberculosis Day, World Immunization Week, World Malaria Day, World No Tobacco Day, World AIDS Day, World Blood Donor Day, and World Hepatitis Day.

Every year on April 7, the World Health Organisation (WHO) celebrates World Health Day. World Health Day is celebrated to spread awareness about the importance of health.

World Health Day Quotes

Many writers and thinkers have strongly supported the cause of health across time and it’s time to revisit those golden words.

Here are top quotes that celebrate well-being, strength and why health remains the primary wealth till date and for times to come.

• “Health is a large word. It embraces not the body only, but the mind and spirit as well; …and not today’s pain or pleasure alone, but the whole being and outlook of a man.” – James H. West
• “Your health is what you make of it. Everything you do and think either adds to the vitality, energy and spirit you possess or takes away from it.” – Ann Wigmore
• “Creativity is a fragrance of real health. When a person is really healthy and whole, creativity comes naturally to him, the urge to create arises.” -Osho
• “Love is not as important as good health. You cannot be in love if you’re not healthy. You can’t appreciate it.” -Bryan Cranston
• “I believe that the greatest gift you can give your family and the world is a healthy you.” – Joyce Meyer
• “Health is the thing that makes you feel that now is the best time of year.” -Franklin P. Adams
• “It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.” -Mahatma Gandhi
• “Our bodies are our gardens – our wills are our gardeners.” – William Shakespeare
• “Man needs difficulties; they are necessary for health.” -Carl Jung
• “Happiness is the highest form of health.” -Dalai Lama
• “The greatest wealth is health.” – Virgil

Quotes For Health Professionals

• From now on, never should we dare to forget the sacrifices that healthcare professionals make with the single motive to serve humanity.
• They save lives. They comfort the sick. You can’t expect that to be easy.
• They fight for our existence as we sit in quarantine and complain of boredom.
• And when we make past this all, may we never forget the sacrifices that our healthcare heroes made for us.
• Healthcare professionals make a living by what they give, but they make a life by what they give.
• In nothing do men more nearly approach the gods than in giving health to men.
• Nurses dispense comfort, compassion, and caring without even a prescription.

World Health Day Messages

• Nurses may not be angels, but they are the next best thing.
• Observation, Reason, Human Understanding, Courage; these make the physician.
• Only a life lived in the service to others is worth living.
• A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.
• Nurses are I.V. Leaguers.
• In our job, you will never go home at the end of the day thinking that you haven’t done something valuable and important.
• Being a doctor offers the most complete and constant union of those three qualities which have the greatest charm for pure and active minds – novelty, utility, and charity.
• Not all superheroes wear capes.
• People pay the healthcare professionals for their trouble; for their kindness, they still remain in his debt.
• Wherever the art of Medicine is loved, there is also a love of Humanity.

This year’s day is dedicated to nurses and midwives with an aim to remind world leaders of the critical role they play in keeping the world healthy.