By Dr Bardan Jung Rana, WHO Representative to Bangladesh
World Health Day is celebrated each year on 7th April globally. The day marks the founding of World Health Organization and aims to draw attention to important health issues facing the world each year. In 2020, the theme of World Health Day is “Support Nurses and Midwives”.
This year is also designated as the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife by the World Health Assembly in recognition of the vital role nurses and midwives play in making health care accessible to individuals around the world and in Bangladesh. World Health Day this year also comes at a time during the global response to COVID-19. It is no wonder that nurses and midwives commended and applauded across the globe for their outstanding contribution as critical frontline workers in the fight against this outbreak.
I commend the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to build a year-long plan to commemorate the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwives. I urge each one of you to thank a nurse and a midwife today for their hard work around the clock to provide essential health services.
To nurses and midwives of Bangladesh - We appreciate you and we thank you for your dedication, courage and commitment for taking care of and healing others in their time of need. You never ask for praise nor recognition but keep continuing to provide the best service you can to those in front and around you. Nurses and midwives, thank you for providing essential health services to everyone and ensuring ‘health for all’ and ‘nobody is left behind’.
The contribution of nurses and midwives to the fight against the COVID-19 cannot go unnoticed and is not without its challenges. We also cannot forget workers like cleaners, security guards, shop keepers, delivery people, everyone who help us to stay safe at home. This is the time that we work as one community, one Bangladesh and together we will remain strong.
WHO will continue to support the nursing and midwifery sector and work with the Government of Bangladesh and partners to progress toward the vision of ‘health for all’ and universal health coverage. We only have a decade left until 2030 to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and we can make further progress for UHC by investing in nursing and midwifery. Nurses and midwives, you are frontline heroes and this is your year!
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