April 7, 2023 is World Health Day, and the theme is “Health for All.” What is World Health Day, why is it important to support nurses and midwives, and how should we do that? Let’s talk about it.
What Is World Health Day?
World Health Day has taken place on April 7 every year since 1950 to highlight a priority area of concern for the World Health Organization (WHO).
Previous World Health Day themes have included Universal Health Coverage (2019 and 2018), Depression (2017), and Diabetes (2016).
More about The World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) was founded on April 7, 1948 to tackle global health problems. 193 countries are members now. The WHO helped eradicate smallpox and has done many other things to promote health around the world.
They started World Health Day to commemorate the anniversary of their founding by focusing on a different crucial health topic every year.
World Health Day 2023
The theme for World Health Day 2023 is “Health for All.”
The goal is to promote health so that everyone, everywhere has access to the highest quality of health care and wellness.
Key Facts about Nurses and Midwives
Courtesy of the WHO, here are some key facts about nurses and midwives:
70% of the health and social workforce around the world are women, and a significant portion of these roles are filled by nurses and midwives.
To achieve health for everybody around the world, it’s crucial that there are plenty of adequately supported, educated, and well-trained nurses and midwives who are earning fair pay and recognition.
Midwives and nurses play a vital role in caring for people around the world, especially during the current pandemic or other conflicts.
Investing more in midwives could prevent more than 80% of the stillbirths, neonatal deaths, and maternal deaths that we see today. Nearly one-fourth of pre-term births could be prevented by a midwife providing care through every stage of pregnancy.
Nurses know their patient’s overall health condition as well as local cultures and traditions, which helps improve care.
Many places around the world need to do a better job of ensuring that nurses are safe from harm and respected by their colleagues.
How to Support Nurses and Midwives
There are five key ways that we should be investing in and supporting nurses and midwives:
Hire more specialist nurses
Invest more in nursing and midwifery education
Support midwives and nurses in their disease prevention and health promotion efforts.
Invest in the leadership skills of midwives and nurses
Make nurses and midwives the heart of primary care
It’s up to all of us to speak to our leaders and make sure they understand the importance of nurses and midwives in healthcare.
How PlushCare Helps
PlushCare supports nurses and midwives, globally. And our mission to bring convenient and affordable healthcare to all directly aligns with the WHO's nurses and midwives initiative.
Did you know you can help nurses, midwives and the healthcare system in general, by knowing when and where to seek medical care?
Many people go to the hospital or a health clinic to be treated by nurses, who are stretched thin on time and resources, when they could be treated at home instead.
Read: How to get an Online Prescription?
PlushCare is helping relieve the burden of our overcrowded healthcare system by treating patients online, when appropriate. We do this year round, but it's especially helpful at a time like this, due to COVID-19.
You can have a video or phone appointment with a PlushCare doctor online. At PlushCare, we can diagnose and treat many conditions and electronically send prescriptions to your local pharmacy.
Whether you need prescription refills, your allergies are acting up, or you suspect you have a urinary tract infection, PlushCare can help for as little as your regular copay.
Read More About Healthcare
Sources
World Health Organization (WHO). Key facts on World Health Day 2020. Accessed on April 6, 2020 at https://www.who.int/news-room/campaigns/world-health-day/world-health-day-2020/key-facts-on-world-health-day-2020
World Health Organization. What is World Health Day about? Accessed on April 6, 2020 at https://www.who.int/news-room/campaigns/world-health-day/world-health-day-2020
American Association of Colleges of Nursing. Nursing Fact Sheet. Accessed on April 6, 2020 at https://www.aacnnursing.org/news-data/fact-sheets/nursing-workforce-fact-sheet
Time and Date. United Nations' World Health Day. Accessed on April 6, 2020 at https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/un/world-health-day
