Saima Wajed, World Health Organisation regional director for South-East Asia
The establishment of a specialized international health organization was first proposed in April 1945, when diplomats met in San Francisco to form the United Nations.
The following year, the ‘International Health Conference’ in New York drafted and adopted the constitution of what would become the World Health Organization (WHO) – signed by 61 countries, while the UN itself had 51 members.
This WHO Constitution came into force two years later, on 7 April 1948 – the day we celebrate as World Health Day – marking the beginning of our organisation, born out of the hope for a healthier future for all.
Today, 77 years later, we celebrate World Health Day – with the theme “Healthy Beginning, Optimistic Future.”
Our health begins before we are born. It is a multi-generational legacy, passed down from our grandparents to our parents and then to us. This means that when we improve the health of our people today, the impact ripples out over time and works to uplift future generations.
So the health of mothers and their newborns is vital not only to our communities today, but also to all those who will come after us.
“Healthy Beginnings, Bright Futures” is our first World Health Day theme dedicated to maternal and newborn health since 2005.
In the years since, we have made excellent progress.
Since 2010, our region has achieved the largest reductions in stillbirth rates, and maternal, newborn and child mortality rates compared to all other WHO regions and the global average.
We have recorded a 53% reduction in Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR), 44% reduction in Neonatal Mortality Rate (NMR), 39% reduction in Stillbirth Rate (SBR), and 49% reduction in Under-Five Mortality Rate (U5MR).
For the first time in our region, we have reported an MMR of less than 100 per 100 000 live births (currently 96). From 2016 to 2023, our maternal mortality rate will decrease by an average of 5.1% per year – three times the global reduction rate.
Although we have made progress regionally, this progress is spread unevenly across our countries.
It is a harsh reality that even today around 2700 mothers and 45 000 newborns die each month in our region. Tragically, around 34 600 babies are stillborn each month. Most of these deaths are due to preventable causes.
Addressing this problem – whether through coverage, the quality of evidence-based intervention packages, or socio-economic factors – requires a concerted and coordinated effort from all stakeholders.
Our work is guided by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), our Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescent’s Health, various regional strategic frameworks, as well as resolutions of the World Health Assembly and our South-East Asia Regional Committee.
At the core of our efforts is Universal Health Coverage (UHC), which aims to provide a healthcare system where everyone can access quality services without financial burden.
Strengthening our primary health care systems is essential to provide inclusive, equitable care and is our preferred approach to achieving UHC.
Universal access to sexual and reproductive health care services, including family planning and the integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programmes, contributes significantly to the survival of mothers and their children.
But sadly, we are seeing a low prioritisation of resources for maternal and newborn health. We are seeing this at the global, regional and country levels. This is extremely worrying and we need to reverse this.
The South-East Asia region is guided by our regional roadmap, the first pillar of which focuses on the importance of the mental health, well-being and quality of life of our people. This has been neglected for too long, and will help ensure that mothers and newborns not only survive but thrive in a supportive and enabling environment.
Women’s and children’s health is particularly important to us, and the second pillar of our roadmap reaffirms investments in women, girls, adolescents, and vulnerable populations. This is critical for public health outcomes and health equity.
Having considered the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) vision of a ‘healthy start’ and the beginning of life, let us turn to a ‘hopeful future’. The future of the health and well-being of mothers and children is inevitably linked to the future of the World Health Organisation.
In our eighth decade, we can reflect with pride on many achievements that mark milestones in human history.
We have eradicated smallpox. We are close to eradicating polio. We have combated HIV-AIDS. We have led the first global treaty to combat tobacco. Our immunization programs have vaccinated millions of people. We have saved hundreds of millions of people from death, disease, and frailty.
Thanks to you, WHO has had a global impact.
Despite this, we are facing difficult times. Geopolitical developments are affecting us and putting our work at risk. But today, as we recommit to the health of mothers, children and future generations, we know that our work is more important than ever.
We will not sit idly by. We are reorienting, reorienting, and repurposing ourselves to our circumstances.
The ‘hopeful future’ we want for our people requires a strong, resilient and proactive World Health Organization.
From disease outbreaks to natural disasters, from newborns to the elderly, from migrant camps to modern cities – whatever the situation and whoever the person is, the World Health Organisation is a beacon of hope, help and health.
We call on all countries, all partners and all allies to deepen their work with us and strengthen the bonds of our common purpose. The health of all our near and dear ones demands nothing less.
