World Health Day: “Support Nurses & Midwives,” says WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) today April 7 commemorates World Heath Day, which is also the WHO’s birthday.

The tagline for this year’s World Health Day is: Support Nurses and Midwives.

It is the day to celebrate the work of nurses and midwives and remind world leaders of the critical role they play in keeping the world healthy.

The Director-General of WHO, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, speaking via Twitter to mark the day, said:

“…WHO’s birthday – a day we celebrate each year as #WorldHealthDay. This year we’re paying tribute to the incredible contribution of all #healthworkers, especially nurses and midwives.” #SupportNursesandMidwives

“One of the lessons I hope the world learns from #COVID19, is that we must invest in healthworkers – not only to protect lives, but also to protect livelihoods.”

WHO’s Message:

“Nurses and other health workers are at the forefront of COVID-19 response – providing high quality, respectful treatment and care, leading community dialogue to address fears and questions and, in some instances, collecting data for clinical studies. Quite simply, without nurses, there would be no response.

“In this International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife, World Health Day will highlight the current status of nursing around the world.

“WHO and its partners will make a series of recommendations to strengthen the nursing and midwifery workforce.

“This will be vital if we are to achieve national and global targets related to universal health coverage, maternal and child health, infectious and non-communicable diseases including mental health, emergency preparedness and response, patient safety and the delivery of integrated, people-centered care, amongst others.

“We are calling for your support on World Health Day to ensure that the nursing and midwifery workforces are strong enough to ensure that everyone, everywhere gets the healthcare they need.”

So, on this World Health Day, who is your favourite nurse or midwife?