Research Essay Project: World Health Organization


 


            The World Health Organization (WHO) is the health directing and coordinating body within the United Nations system. It provides leadership on matters of global health, thus molding the research agenda, and norms and standards, communicating evidence-based policies, and providing technical support to different countries around the world, to help monitor and assess their health trends and problems (  2007). Its headquarters is located in Geneva, Switzerland, and its member states are divided into six geographical regions, namely, Africa, Southeast Asia, Eastern Mediterranean, the Western Pacific, the Americas, and Europe. It was established on April 7, 1948, when three physicians, namely, Dr.  of China, Karl Evang of Norway, and Geraldo de Paula Souza of Brazil suggested formulating a single health organization in 1945, which would be responsible in addressing the health problems and needs of the people around the world. The proposition of the three doctors was then approved during the approval of its constitution in 1946. The main concern of the organization was to address certain health problems including malaria, tuberculosis, diseases caused by parasites, bacteria and viruses, mental health, maternal and child health, public health administration, and environmental sanitation (2007).


             The establishment of the World Health Organization in April 7, 1948 has continually been celebrated to be the World Health Day ( 2007). Member states and donors, including various non-government organizations, pharmaceutical industries, and foundations, have continuously funded it. Eight thousand five hundred health workers and support staffs based in the headquarters and in all six regional offices, and individual representation in 147 countries around the world carry out internal and external work. In addition, its Goodwill Ambassadors is representing the mission and vision of the organization (2007).    


            The main objective of the World Health Organization is to promote health and well-being of all the peoples around the world. It preserves, maintains, and improves the health of many peoples through education, nutritional support, health-related activities, disease outbreaks management, emergencies response, and various funding programs (2007). Specifically, it has six agendas, which enable the organization to respond to the different health problems and needs of the peoples of the world. This includes 1) promoting health development despite poverty and social problems; 2) fostering health security through collective action to combat health security threats; 3) strengthen health systems as a poverty-reduction strategy; 4) harness research, information and evidence for setting priorities, define strategies and measure results; 5) enhance partnerships through support and collaboration with partners; and 6) improve performance through participation in ongoing reforms aimed at improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the organization ( 2007). In line with the agendas of the World Health Organization are its programs (2007), which include the following:


  • Health education – through promotion of breastfeeding

  • Food, food safety and nutrition – through support of food production that improve local diets, and distribution of supplementary foods

  • Safe water and basic sanitation

  • Immunizations – tuberculosis, measles, tetanus, polio

  • Prevention and control of local endemic diseases

  • Treatment of common diseases and injuries

  • Provision of essential drugs

  • Such programs would not be executed and achieved by the World Health Organization without the support of other international organizations and agencies. Such international agencies include the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, and the UNCTAD. In addition, WHO also focuses in monitoring its workplan, being an ongoing process, and allows the organization to have a detailed review of the delivery of its products and services to the all the individuals concerned (2007). It uses effective and efficient means of communication in order to coordinate and cooperate with its member states, staffs, and all the concerned peoples around the world. It also undergoes extensive researches and evaluation in order to effectively assess the needs and health-related problems of populations around the world. In this regard, for the organization to be able to achieve its objectives, it uses both its internal and external sources effectively to produce its desired outcomes.  It collaborates with different local and international organizations to be able to obtain relevant information and come up with effective health programs in order to promote health and well-being in all populations of the world. Particularly, it focuses on education and provision of health and medical services, in order to help prevent and inform many individuals regarding the condition of health in respective countries or populations. Furthermore, it collaborates with health care and medical institutions to help facilitate medical missions to provide cure and treatment to persons afflicted with diseases and illnesses. 


     


     



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