Date: Apr 26, 2019
“In health there is freedom. Health is the first of all liberties.”
— Henri-Frederic Amiel
Today, countries all across the globe, including Pakistan, are observing the World Health Day. The tag-line for this year is ‘Health for all – everyone, everywhere’. This day is taken as an opportunity to not only remind the decisions makers of the importance of health-care policies but also to reemphasize health as the basic human right of every citizen
In order for citizens to fully realize their right of affordable and timely health-care, they need to first be sensitized about it. During the process of community participation they should at least have access to basic ‘Primary Health Care’. According to WHO, “Strong and sustainable primary health care is the bedrock of universal health coverage…”
HDF through its ‘PRIMARY HEALTHCARE’ program has been doing exactly that. We believe that a community should be helped, to help themselves. Spread across all major regions of Pakistan, We endeavor to maintain healthy communities through our primary preventive and curative healthcare facilities with special emphasis on the well-being of mothers and children.
Our Community Health Centers (CHCs) provide basic health services to marginalized communities and raise awareness about communicable and non-communicable as well as diseases personal hygiene. HDF ensures these health services are accessible, affordable and integrated into the holistic development process.
The program is further complemented by advocacy and awareness campaigns like Umeed Say Aagay; promoting Mother and Child Wellness in the First 1000 Days. Also, considering the importance of a sustainable environment and its effects on health and well-being a ‘Campaign for Tobacco free kids’ is being carried out as well, it aims at advocating for a clean and healthy environment by controlling use of tobacco.
World health day provides a window of opportunity for relevant stakeholders to advocate the profound notion of ‘Universal Health Coverage’. This opportunity should be utilized with the hope that being a signatory of the sustainable development goals, Pakistan with the participation of all relevant stakeholders will make every effort to make sure that citizens indiscriminately, have access to the quality health services they need, when and where they need them, without financial hardship.
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