WRITTEN BY PROF. PETER KATCHY

World Health Organization (W.H.O) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that is concerned with international public health. It was established on April 7, 1948, with its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. Presently, one hundred and ninety-four sovereign nations are members of which Nigeria is one. World Health Day is therefore an opportunity created by the organization to draw world attention to subjects of major importance to global health matters each year

All United Nations member states are eligible for W.H.O membership. W.H.O has played a leading role in the control and eradication of many deadly diseases like smallpox, meningitis, leprosy, tuberculosis, and poliomyelitis. Others are on HIV/AIDS and malaria eradication and the mitigation of the effects of non- communicable diseases, sexual and reproductive health development and ageing, nutrition, food security and healthy eating.

WHO has equally succeeded in the gains in child survival, reduced infant mortality, raised life expectancy and rates of “scourges” such as Smallpox and Polio. It is equally gearing more efforts towards Maternal Health, Cholera and Tuberculosis. The Theme for 2019 World Health Day is:Universal Health Coverage: Everyone, Everywhere.

The Federal Government of Nigeria should urgently direct efforts towards the reduction of health, social and economic burden of the nation. It should concentrate on reduction and combating of HIV/AIDS, Malaria, Tuberculosis, Mental Disorder, Violence, Injuries and Visual impairment. Health action should be reinforced to reduce morbidity and mortality and improve the living standards of the people during key stages of life, including pregnancy, child birth, the neonatal period, childhood and adolescence, and improve sexual and reproductive health, promote active and healthy aging for all individuals.

Government should equally reduce risk factors for health conditions associated with the use of tobacco, alcohol, drugs and other psychoactive substances, unhealthy diets, and unsafe sex. It should improve nutrition, food safety and food security to ensure the positive effect on public health and sustainable development.

Emergency situations of any sort of disaster must be rapidly responded to and efficiently managed. A lot should be done towards effective approach to strategic planning to capacity building, preparedness, mitigations and precautionary measures to prevent disaster that lead to emergency situations. In addition, road safety must always be promoted at all times.

The human rights of the people are inter-related with their health. Therefore, government should address health policy with the aims of underlying social and economic projects of health through policies and programmes that will enhance health equity and integrate proper gender responsiveness and human rights.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), that every child before and after birth should have a right to life, basic education, freedom of expression, right not to be used for forced labour, child trade, child trafficking should be implemented fully.

Health is wealth and a healthy nation is a wealthy nation, hence, the need to look after the health of everyone. Healthy life makes the people live with high confidence and peace to work accurately. It is vital therefore that every person gets adequate treatment and advice from Doctors, who will give proper health knowledge about the Body. So, every person should regularly visit his or her Doctor for healthy living.

Physical exercise is also very important for healthy living. There are many readily available Gyms and Workouts for the people to provide them good exercise of the body. So it is important for people to visit the Gym to get their Body to become better for the work they are doing in their daily Life.

It is safe to get the advice of Doctors and other medical experts on the type of physical exercise one has to embark on for healthy living. So, one has to keep healthy lifestyle to live long. There are many events being organized by Government and NGOs to make people live healthy. Let us therefore, hearken to the universal health coverage’s clarion call to achieve health for all from 2019.

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