The World Health Organization (WHO) is an agency of the United Nations Organization (UNO). WHO was established by the UN on April 7, 1948.
It acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. WHO has its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.
Reasons for the Formation of WHO:
The member countries of United Nations Organization felt a need to have an international body to look after the health problems of the world. It was felt that the combined efforts in this direction will give better and faster results. The poor and developing countries were to benefit most from this decision. Thus, that is how WHO was formed.
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Structure:
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WHO has its headquarters in Geneva, regional offices, and other offices located in different countries. WHO has six regional offices including one at Delhi in India? The member states of WHO are bound by international sanitary regulations to send all relevant information about the internationally notifiable diseases such as malaria and small pox, etc.
Main Activities of WHO for Health:
i. To reduce excess mortality, disability and promote healthy life-style to reduce risk to human health.
ii. To develop health systems that improves health of the general public.
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iii. To collect, supply and manage information about the occurrence of epidemic such as cholera, typhoid, plague, small pox, yellow fever, etc.
iv. To promote and support projects for research on diseases.
v. To supply information about the new developments in the medical field, control of drug addiction and health hazards of nuclear radiation.
vi. To provide information and suggest measures to control deadly diseases such as HIV/AIDS.
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vii. To suggest quarantine measures (isolation of patients) to prevent spread of diseases.
viii. To organize campaigns for controlling widespread (epidemics) and local (endemic) diseases.
ix. To lay pharmaceutical standards for important drugs and ensure their purity and dose size.