2024-04-05 21:30:50
World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Southeast Asia Saima Wazed said realizing people’s right to health is now more important than ever. This means creating an environment where everyone can access high-quality health care that prioritizes people’s needs and dignity.
He made this call on the occasion of celebrating the World Health Day on April 7, the anniversary of the establishment of the World Health Organization. This information was informed in a press release on Thursday (April 4).
Calling for the realization of the right to health for all, Saima Wazed said WHO is committed to advancing health and other human rights.
According to the notification, the main theme of this year’s World Health Day is ‘My Health, My Right’. The world is now facing multiple crises including diseases, natural disasters, conflicts and climate change.
According to the WHO Regional Director, health care and its underlying determinants should both be available, accessible, acceptable and of sufficient quality to fulfill the right to health.
As the World Health Organization celebrates its 76th anniversary on April 7, the Southeast Asia region has seen many achievements on the right to health and has much to celebrate, according to the press release.
The service coverage index in universal health coverage increased from 47 in 2010 to 62 in 2021, the release said, noting that the average density of medical, doctors, nurses and midwives in the region stood at 28.05 per 10,000 population. It has increased by 30.5 percent since 2015.
Between 2000 and 2020, maternal mortality in the region decreased by 68.5 percent. The under-five mortality rate has increased from 84 in 2000 to 29 in 2021. The neonatal mortality rate has decreased from 41 per thousand in 2000 to 17 in 2021.
Between 2015 and 2021, new HIV infections fell by 25 percent and malaria infections by 62 percent, the release said.
Saima Wazed said one in three women in the region had experienced intimate partner violence at least once in their lives. Whereas rural and uneducated women and those from the poorest households faced significantly higher risks.