Now at a time when the whole world is facing a health crisis as we fight the coronavirus pandemic, World Health Day 2020 carries more importance than ever.

The World Health Organization (WHO) observes World Health Day on 7 April every year. The contribution of doctors, nurses and other health workers is acknowledged on this day.

Now at a time when the whole world is facing a health crisis as we fight the coronavirus pandemic, healthcare professionals are the frontline soldiers in this war and the World Health Day 2020 carries more importance than ever.

World Health Day 2020: Date

The WHO began observing the World Health Day on 7 April from 1950. The need for a World Health Day was discussed in the First Health Assembly in 1948. Now, every World Health Day focuses on a certain key area in the healthcare system and aims to develop it.

Through this initiative, significant growth has been brought to the fields of “mental health, maternal and child care and climate change”.

World Health Day 2020: Theme

The tagline of World Health Day 2020 is ‘Support nurses and midwives’. To generate attention towards their contribution during the COVID-19 outbreak, the World Health Day will “highlight the current status of nursing around the world”.

WHO also pledges to make a “series of recommendations to strengthen” the nursing and midwifery workforce.

The year 2020 has also been designated by the World Health Assembly as the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife.

Why is it celebrated

Put “quite simply”, without the aid of nurses there would have been “no response” to COVID-19 emergency or any other public health emergency.

The World Health Day is observed to celebrate the efforts put in by nurses and midwives, and “remind world leaders of the critical role [that] they play in keeping the world healthy”.

The WHO also released a ‘State of the World’s Nursing Report 2020’ which provides the “most up-to-date evidence on and policy options for the global nursing workforce”. The report also makes the case for higher investment in nursing education, jobs and leadership.