On 7 April 2019, World Health Day kicked off another year of health campaigning. With the World Health Organisation leading the charge, this year their focus is on ensuring “everyone, everywhere” has access to universal health care.
It’s a mission we couldn’t agree more with. With the backing of our incredible donors, Human Appeal is ready to help more people secure access to adequate health care and get the treatment they need.
Did you know that half the world’s population doesn’t have access to essential health services? Unaffordable health care continues to push huge numbers of people into poverty. After paying for basic health care, up to 8 per cent of households have difficulty paying for food, utilities, and rent. In particular, these problems often take a toll on women and children. Every day, around 830 women die from preventable illnesses related to pregnancy and childbirth because they lack access to skilled health care.
The list of statistics showing the need for improved access to skilled medical care goes on. This is why World Health Day is such an important mark in our calendars. Everyone has a part to play, from stimulating conversation around the dangers of inadequate health care to changing policies to give more people the ability to benefit from effective treatments. World Health Day calls on everyone to be the positive change we need in global health. Not just governments, but also the media, non-governmental organisations like Human Appeal, and individuals like yourself. Each year, 7 April is a reminder of the work left to do. It’s also a celebration of what we have already achieved!
Since the start of the millennium, global life-expectancy at birth increased by 5.5 years reaching 72 years. Maternal deaths have decreased around the world by 37 per cent in the same time, and the under-5 mortality rate reduced by 47 per cent. Increasing awareness of global health issues and 41 per cent more development assistance from donors since 2010 have made sure brilliant changes like this continue to be possible.
At Human Appeal, we believe every human should have access to the medical treatment they need, regardless of their income or where they’re from. In 2018, putting our beliefs into action, we ran emergency projects to give people affected by conflict access to life-saving health services.
In Syria, over half the country’s public hospitals and health centres are closed or not fully functional. In 2018, we continued to support the Al Imaan Hospital by providing medical consultation and care to almost 20,000 children. We helped over 15,000 women get access to health care, including prenatal and antenatal care. We also provided the hospital with much-needed medical equipment to make our work go further.
In Gaza, where conflict continues to disrupt the safety and well-being of hundreds of thousands of people, we helped create and equip an Optic Centre with medical technology that has already helped provide over 300 people with glasses. This means more than just comfortable sight. It means more of Gaza’s children can have the confidence they need to take part in the classroom. In the long-term, this could possibly reduce their vulnerability to unemployment and poverty. Watching simple concepts like this make huge differences in people’s lives continues to drive us to help humans and always strive to leave no one behind.
World Health Day highlights the world’s shortcomings with health care and tackling inequality. But it’s also a yearly reminder of how much of a difference we can all make. Think of the many people we can assist when we work towards a common goal for the benefit of all. In 2019, there is no slowing down at Human Appeal. We’ve hit the ground running and are helping more families and individuals get access to fundamental health care that everyone, everywhere is entitled to.
Do you want to make your mark and support the goals of World Health Day? By donating to Human Appeal, you can help our beneficiaries who are at the centre of the world’s largest humanitarian crises.
Your donation can help provide emergency medical aid to survivors of the escalating violence in Gaza, where 75 per cent of people rely on humanitarian assistance to survive. Human Appeal is on the ground providing vital equipment for hospitals and intensive care units, operating rooms, medicine, and first aid kits.
