The World Health Organization (WHO) is a focused agency of the United Nations (UN) that functions as a coordinating authority on global public health issues. When diplomats met to form the United Nations in 1945, one of the things they discussed an gave importance to was setting up a global health organization and incidentally, it was Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of independent India who proposed the establishment of such an organization. World Health Organization’s structure was convened on 7 April 1948, a date which is now celebrated as World Health Day throughout the world each year. It is a well endowed subsidiary of the UN and a constituent of the United Nations Development Group with its center of operations in Geneva, Switzerland.
The basic function of the World Health Organization, as stated in its constitution in the second chapter, article 1, is to take the world’s health matters in its hands and take charge for coordinating efforts to generally enhance public health throughout the world by aiming to provide each and every human being on earth access to fundamental and vital healthcare. Eradicating the world of poverty and health diseases, creating an interface between the developed and developing nations when pertaining to health issues, patronizing and supporting health programs in developing nations, coordinating and overseeing the procurement of health services, immersing in disease inspection and analysis, involving itself in promoting health and also to imparting health education, collaborating with governments and administrations all over the world to endorse health promotional programs are some of the other aims and objectives of the WHO.
The issues which are the center of attention of the World Health Organization are:
- Women’s Health
- Health In Africa
- Eradication of communicable diseases
Dr Margaret Chan, the Director-General of World Health Organization said;“I want my leadership to be judged by the impact of our work on the health of two populations: women and the people of Africa.”
It is very difficult to measure the achievements of the WHO is quantitative terms nevertheless it is possible to recognize certain positive achievements. Its first major accomplishment was the eradication of smallpox by conducting vast vaccination programs in 1979. Since then, the WHO has turned its attention to other diseases such as polio, leprosy and malaria, which have been controlled or are on the verge of eradication.
New international Child Growth Standards for infants and young children were published by the WHO in 2001. They provide guidance for the first time about how every child in the world should grow. The publication of the first report on the health of people in Africa underscores the fact that the WHO Africa Region, in which some 738 million people live, is coming up with its own solutions to Africa’s health problems.
WHO also initiated campaigns against the consumption of tobacco and each year WHO celebrates the convention of the WHO Framework on Tobacco Control also known as ‘No Tobacco Day’. Since it was inception by the World Health Assembly in 2003, 172 countries and the European Union have become Parties to the WHO FCTC. More than one billion people in 19 countries are now covered by WHO laws which require the printing of large, graphic health warnings on packages of tobacco.
All in all the extensive list of achievements of the WHO amounts to an overall achievement of considerable magnitude of which the organization and not least its dedicated staff and inspiring director general Dr Margaret Chan can well be proud.
Yet with all this work done the WHO cannot rest content. There is so much more to left to do.
Bibliography
“WHO | World Health Organization.” Web. 2011.
“The World Health Organization: Enlightened Goals and Remarkable Achievements-Vegetarian Era-The Supreme Master Ching Hai Hai News Magazine.151.” Web. 2011.
“Origins, History, and Achievements of the World Health Organization.” Web. 2011.