World Health Day 2022: Theme, significance and history
Years ago, I met an elderly gentleman at an event who started discussing various topics about life and asked me, "What should be the most important thing for people to want in their lives?" I thought for a moment and replied, "Happiness!" He smiled and said, "It's health. If you don't have health on your side, you have nothing." That stayed with me...
Why do we need a World Health Day?
As explained by the wise man, health is your only wealth and without it no matter how much money or power you have, you cannot live a fruitful life. World Health Day is a health awareness day celebrated on April 7, sponsored by World Health Organization and related bodies. The aim is to focus the attention of governments on various areas of public health.
History of World Health Day
The WHO structured the first World Health Assembly in 1948 which demanded the creation of a "World Health Day." In 1950, the first Day was celebrated on April 7 and ever since it is observed every year. The aim of commemorating this day is to create awareness about health-related themes and focus on an urgent area of concern to address or solve the issue.
Theme for 2022 focuses on the health of our planet
This year's theme is, "Our planet, our health." On this World Health Day, WHO aims to focus on urgent actions needed to keep humans and our planet healthy and nurture a movement to form societies that focus on well-being. The theme raises questions like--whether we can imagine a world where everyone has access to clean food, water, and air?
Significance of the theme
Campaigns like #SaveSoil movement by Sadhguru have informed us that the soil on our planet is dying and if we don't do anything to fix it now, it might be too late for future generations. Results of human intervention are haunting us now in form of pollution and extreme climates. We must take responsibility for our planet's health as well as our body's.
