The Director-General of the World Health Organization, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Photo: AFP/VNA

According to the WHO press release, over the past seven and a half decades, there has been extraordinary progress in protecting people from diseases and destruction, including smallpox eradication, reducing the incidence of polio by 99%, saving millions of lives through childhood immunization, declines in maternal mortality and improving health and well-being for millions more. 

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “We have much to be proud of, but much work to do to realize our founding vision of the highest attainable standard of health for all people. We continue to face vast inequities in access to health services, major gaps in the world’s defenses against health emergencies, and threats from health harming products and the climate crisis.”

To meet these challenges, WHO is urging countries to take urgent action to protect, support and expand the health workforce as a strategic priority. Investments in education, skills and decent jobs for health need to be prioritized to meet the rapidly growing demand for health and avert a projected shortage of 10 million health workers by 2030; primarily in low- and middle-income countries. 

Looking forward to the next 75 years and close to the turn of the next century, a renewed commitment to health equity will be the key to addressing future health challenges. WHO is urging countries to provide health by prioritizing primary health care as the foundation of universal health coverage.