World Health Day 2020 comes at critical juncture

On 7 April 1948, the Constitution of the World Health Organization was adopted. The date is celebrated every year as World Health Day, an occasion to examine the needs and gaps in healthcare systems across the world.   This year, when the world is battling a pandemic, the likes of which it has not seen before, World Health Day becomes all the more important. Global leaders and healthcare professionals need to create a comprehensive plan to tackle the problems of access, lack of protective gear for hospital staff, lack of ventilators and other equipment, and other issues to provide customised solutions for countries that have different needs. WHO has designated this year as the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife to honour their work and raise awareness about the crucial, and often unseen role they play in ensuring quality and empathetic healthcare.