World Health Day is recognized and celebrated on April 7th every year. The day is commemorated each year to support the World Health Organization’s goal of raising awareness about health-related concerns and bringing attention to specific health challenges that affect people all over the world. After the First Health Assembly in 1948 established 7 April as a designated date to commemorate the foundation of the World Health Organization, the first World Health Day was celebrated and honored in 1950. As a result, the day commemorates the founding of the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1948.
World Health Day 2022 – Theme
The theme for this year’s World Health Day is “Our Planet, Our Health”. The WHO website states, “In the midst of a pandemic, a polluted planet, increasing diseases like cancer, asthma, heart disease, on World Health Day 2022, WHO will focus global attention on urgent actions needed to keep humans and the planet healthy and foster a movement to create societies focused on well-being.”
According to the World Health Organization, more than 13 million people die each year due to preventable environmental causes around the world. This includes the climate problem, which is the world’s single greatest health concern. The climatic emergency is also a health emergency.
Elaborating further on the theme, the WHO website stated, “Our political, social and commercial decisions are driving the climate and health crisis. Over 90% of people breathe unhealthy air resulting from the burning of fossil fuels. A heating world is seeing mosquitos spread diseases farther and faster than ever before. Extreme weather events, land degradation, and water scarcity are displacing people and affecting their health. Pollution and plastics are found at the bottom of our deepest oceans, the highest mountains, and have made their way into our food chain. Systems that produce highly processed, unhealthy foods and beverages are driving a wave of obesity, increasing cancer and heart disease while generating a third of global greenhouse gas emissions.
While the COVID-19 pandemic showed us the healing power of science, it also highlighted the inequities in our world. The pandemic has revealed weaknesses in all areas of society and underlined the urgency of creating sustainable well-being societies committed to achieving equitable health now and for future generations without breaching ecological limits. The present design of the economy leads to inequitable distribution of income, wealth, and power, with too many people still living in poverty and instability. A well-being economy has human well-being, equity, and ecological sustainability as its goals. These goals are translated into long-term investments, well-being budgets, social protection, and legal and fiscal strategies. Breaking these cycles of destruction for the planet and human health requires legislative action, corporate reform, and individuals to be supported and incentivized to make healthy choices.”
Reactions of Leaders from India Inc. on the theme of World Health Day 2022
Sunita Nadhamuni, Head of Global Innovation and Lead – Digital LifeCare, Dell Technologies said,
“World Health Day is a great reminder to recognize efforts, assess and collaborate for the transformation of health programs that India needs to achieve for impact at grassroots. India is tackling a complex rise of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), with NCDs accounting for more than 60% of the deaths today. The Government of India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has an ambitious NCD program that works on the prevention, detection, monitoring, and management of NCDs at the population scale. With the adoption of technology that enables actionable insights for the Government, this program is exemplifying how technology can improve service delivery at scale. As the technology partner to the MoHFW with Tata Trusts on this transformative initiative, we are excited in collaborating to enable digital inclusion for more and more people.”
Prem Kumar, Founder & CEO, Snapbizz said,
“A small change in our lifestyle can have a significant impact on our health. Our planet is going through a lot of issues such as climate change, global warming, carbon footprints, deforestation, etc that are causing havoc to our environment. We are rushing towards urbanization without realizing the detrimental effects it will have on our health.
In India, air quality has deteriorated in recent decades, necessitating the need for improved air quality. Covid instilled in us the importance of breathing clean and fresh air. Apart from that, we need to plant as many trees as possible because they are our only source of food and nutrition, as well as keeping us healthy and alive. This will also aid in the preservation of our planet’s health and safety. So, planting trees and adopting these sustainable living behaviors can help us live a healthier life for ourselves and our future generations.
We, at Snapbizz, urge every citizen to contribute to a healthier living environment by giving back to nature what it gives us in abundance.”
Gaurav Burman- VP & APAC President, 75F, India said,
“Our environment has been severely harmed by major environmental challenges. Global warming, carbon emissions, climate change, and deteriorating air quality are just a few of the factors that have made our planet weaker and unhealthier, leading to the depletion of resources. The air quality has been continuously deteriorating due to overreliance on fossil fuels as the main energy source, causing major pulmonary difficulties among patients. More than ever, improved air quality is the need of the hour, and this is only possible if we take care of mother nature by reducing global warming and maintaining the ozone layer from depletion. Covid made us realize the importance of breathing fresh air and thus 75F ensures that it delivers better indoor air quality through its applications such as Outdoor Air Optimization (OAO) and IoT powered Building management systems. If we wish to live a healthy life not just for us but for our coming generations, we must commit on World Health Day that we would practice sustainable living and contribute to a healthier future for our generations to come.”
Shashank Jain, Co-Founder, Bourgeon Foods said,
“It is health that is real wealth, and not pieces of gold and silver, said Mahatma Gandhi. On this World Health Day, it is imperative for us to acknowledge the role our planet plays in our health.
The climate crisis and pollution are some of the main factors that affect a person’s health. Unfortunately, this is not limited to one geographical location but is the same, worldwide.. Unhealthy and processed foods are pushing a wave of obesity, heart diseases, and cancer, whilst also generating a majority of global greenhouse emissions.
This year’s theme “Our Planet, Our Health” is possibly the most important one we have celebrated in the last few years. With the onset of the COVID 19 pandemic, we saw increased measures to restrict movement, use of nature-friendly products, and recycling which resulted in the planet being the healthiest it has been in decades. The repeated lockdowns the world over has possibly let the Earth breathe a little due to little or no emissions from industries and other pollutants. Furthermore, the decrease in greenhouse emissions and pollution have led to cleaner seas and clear skies. As a society, it is our duty to learn from this, and continue to maintain these positive changes to encourage a healthy planet, and create sustainable societies of healthy and happy individuals.”
Mr. Irfan Pathan, Co-Founder & CEO, Pi Green Innovations said,
“It is no secret that the planet’s future must be protected owing to the ongoing pollution catastrophe. According to a recent survey, the whole global population is breathing air that surpasses WHO limits for air quality, which is a concerning sign. Regarding to this year’s World Health Day theme, ‘Our Planet Is Our Health’, steps to limit ‘Air Pollution’ are critical and must be taken seriously. We come across statistics and data about the poor state of many cities regularly; for example, according to the most recent air quality standard data, Delhi was the most polluted city in India. We now have filterless solutions for controlling air pollution because of advancements in technology, and the demand for such solutions is greater than ever. Filterless retrofits for heavy vehicles and diesel generators can aid in the control and reduction of exhaust emissions. Additional steps, such as limiting fossil fuel use, reducing forest fires, driving a green car, and reducing stubble burning, are vital for the health of people and the earth. Because it can impair one’s health and lungs, air pollution is frequently referred to as the “silent killer.” It is related to the start of asthma and other respiratory disorders. As a society, let us take an oath on this World Health Day to make a structural and conscious change in our society to counteract rising pollution”
A Message from The CSR Journal Team
There is no progress without good health. On World Health Day 2022, we urge all of our readers, collaborators and stakeholders to prioritise their health by taking time out to do things that would nourish their physical, mental and spiritual health. In addition to this, we also request you all to protect, conserve and cherish the environment around you to the best of your ability by perhaps planting a tree, or avoid using the car for a day or even eating plant-based food for one meal in a week, in order to contribute to the global fight against climate change. We wish you all a good health.
