…No case of Polio in the country in the last 30 years
BY DELISA THWALA
MANZINI– On April 7, 2023, the World Health Organization(WHO) marked its 75th anniversary, along with its 194 Member States and other partners, by calling for a renewed drive for health equity.
Today at the Tums George Hotel in Manzini, the Minister of Health Lizzie Nkosi took time to commemorate the anniversary together with the celebration of World Health Day.
Nkosi said, 75 years ago, in the aftermath of the deadliest and most destructive war in human history, the constitution of the WHO came into force: a treaty between the nations of the world, who recognised that health was not only a fundamental human right but also fundamental to peace and security.
“Over the past seven and a half decades, there has been extraordinary progress in protecting people from diseases and destruction, including smallpox eradication, reducing the incidence of polio by 99 percent saving millions of lives through childhood immunisation, declines in maternal mortality, and improving health and well-being for millions more,” she said.
In addition to that she said the history of WHO demonstrates what is possible when nations come together for a common purpose
“We have much to be proud of, but much work to do to realise our founding vision of the highest attainable standard of health for all people.
We continue to face vast inequities in access to health services, major gaps in the world’s defenses against health emergencies, and threats from health-harming products and the climate crisis. We can only meet these global challenges with global cooperation,” said the Senator.
Nkosi further highlighted that, to meet these challenges, WHO is urging countries to take urgent action to protect, support and expand the health workforce as a strategic priority.
Investments in education, skills, and decent jobs for health need to be prioritised to meet the rapidly growing demand for health and avert a projected shortage of 10 million health workers by 2030; primarily in low- and middle-income countries. Meanwhile, World Health Day is a global health awareness day celebrated every year on April 7, under the sponsorship of the WHO, as well as other related organisations. In 1948, the WHO held the First World Health Assembly.
