Today is The World Health Day and so to mark the occasion “The World Health Day” is being celebrated all over the globe bringing forward a truly important cause: Achieving Universal Health Coverage, for everyone, everywhere.
The “Health for all” hashtag is being used to help spread awareness to the fact that even though Health is a human right, at least half of the world’s population still do not have full coverage of essential health services.
About 100 million people are still being pushed into “extreme poverty” (living on $ 1.90 or less a day) because they have to pay for health care, and over 800 million people (almost 12 percent of the world’s population) spent at least 10 percent of their household budgets to pay for health care. Knowing this facts, all UN Member States have agreed in 2015 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals to try to achieve universal health coverage(UHC) by 2030.
UHC does not mean free coverage for all possible health interventions, regardless of the cost, as no country can provide all services free of charge on a sustainable basis. It is about ensuring a minimum package of health services, a progressive expansion of coverage of health services and financial protection as more resources become available. It is about medical treatment for individuals, but also includes services for whole populations such as public health campaigns – for example adding fluoride to water or controlling the breeding grounds of mosquitoes that carry viruses that can cause disease. It encompasses all systems and healthcare providers that deliver health services to people, health facilities and communications networks, health technologies, information systems, quality assurance mechanisms and governance and legislation
Even though it almost feels like a utopia, we are getting a lot closer, and the UHC campaigns and initiatives are inspiring people around the world to take action and demand action from their community, health officials, educators, patients, parents, health organizations, policy-makers and governments. So we remind you today, in the 7th April, you are more than welcome to join this cause.
Without Health, There is No Living
No one should have to choose between good health and other life necessities. Without good health a child cannot play, learn and grow with all the skills he or she needs to subsist in the world. Without good health no one can work and become a productive member in their society.
Access to essential quality care and financial protection not only enhances people’s health and life expectancy, it also protects countries from epidemics, reduces poverty and the risk of hunger, creates jobs, drives economic growth and enhances gender equality.
That is why it is so important for everyone, everywhere that organizations, institutions, schools, companies, and other types of hirers are also able to help promoting Health and well-being. Promoting active participation of all in the improvement of facilities, environments and by boosting the personal knowledge and development, like teaching children healthy habits or keeping employees better informed.
Wellness and Healthcare programmes should be transversal to all communities since they help build favourable culture and environment that can encourage healthy lifestyles.
Making the World an Healthier Place
Kindergartens, Schools, Universities, Companies, all organizations should have the possibility to offer good healthcare programs that includes not only treatments but, most importantly prevention, particularly for the less fortunate. They should also be promoting regular medical and physical exams, potentiating early detection of diseases, most importantly contagious ones.
It is also urgent we start to see and analyse health in a more holistic way. For instances, a company can only be considered a healthy group if their workers have a awesome rate of success and if employees feel good about the place they work in. Everyone deserves and should be forced to have at least a break in a day’s work: being stuck to a desk not only limits creativity and productivity, but can be consider an awful sedentary habit that can kill you. Supplying healthy snacks, meals or fruit and foment exercise increases energy, decreases stress, assures better concentration and increases our immunologic defences.
Investing in Healthcare and Antimicrobial Technology can also bring further benefits. Healthcare facilities such as hospitals, doctor’s offices, surgery/medical centres, dental clinics and laboratories are particularly at constant threat from the spread of infections. That is why these were the first environments to discover how relevant advances in antimicrobial technology can be to help maintaining these spaces as healthier as possible. Antibacterial technology offers lasting protection from bacteria, minimise the growth of all types of mould and reduces the risk of unsightly and potentially harmful growths, and nowadays it is available, not only in medical, hygienic and disinfectant material, but also in a huge assortment of everyday objects and products. Take public display or shared presentation and collaboration tools such as notice boards and whiteboards or its accessories, for instances. These objects play a central role in offices and classrooms and are used by many different people that leave bacteria, germs and microbes on the items they handle, especially children. That is why currently these communication and learning tools can be treated to have anti-microbial properties, reducing bacteria, and consequently diseases in Offices and Classrooms. There are already numerous case studies that prove the efficiency of investing in antimicrobial solutions, which is amazing, when you think that they can bring so much benefit without costing much.
All the ideas and initiatives we advanced here can represent a better, sustainable future and one step closer to a healthier world for all of us. Let’s spread the word and take action to help raise awareness and advance Health for All.
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