World Health Day

On 7 April each year, the World Health Organisation (WHO) celebrates World Health Day. This date commemorates the formation of the WHO in 1945. The WHO's Constitution came into effect on 7 April 1948, and therefore this date has been celebrated as World Health Day ever since. The purpose of World Health Day is to create awareness about health care and working conditions, and through training and support, aims to better equip health practitioners to provide better health services. For the past three years, World Health Day has aimed to create awareness about climate change, health security and health practitioner solidarity. 2009's World Health Day is focused on emergency health care, and the safety and ability of health workers who treat emergency patients. An indispensable part of health care services, emergency care provides everyday needs such as safe childbirth, immunizations and the treatment of injuries. Through this awareness campaign, the WHO hopes to increase investments in health infrastructure that can withstand hazards. This will enable facilities to offer emergency services in times of disaster, and encourage all facilities to implement internal safety systems. Training sessions were therefore implemented worldwide recently, in anticipation of World Health Day. In South Africa, where lack of medical infrastructure is a problem, emergency health training was conducted through simulated scenarios and field tests, which equipped health workers to deal with emergency situations effectively.