The theme for World Health Day 2024 is ‘My health, my right’. What is the role of universities and education? Let’s take stock with Professor Barbara Tavazzi.
April 7th is a date dedicated worldwide to health. World Health Day was established by the World Health Organisation in 1948 and aims to bring to light key global health issues such as mental health, the ravages of climate change and the right to inclusive access to care.
Health on this day, therefore, is not only considered in health terms, but also and above all in social terms. While in Italy we are fortunate to enjoy a public National Health Service, in many poor areas of the world health is not even considered a right.
The third goal of the 2030 Agenda is to ensure health and well-being for all by reducing child mortality, eradicating epidemics and communicable diseases, and promoting access to treatment. Much progress has been made in this direction— since 2010, for example, AIDS mortality has been reduced by 52%, tropical diseases have been eliminated in 47 countries and the mortality threshold has been reduced in ¾ of the world. However, further investment is needed so that all countries and social classes can enjoy adequate health care: suffice it to say that 4.5 billion people (more than half of the world’s population) were not covered by health services in 2021.
Diseases are not the only danger in this regard: wars, environmental disasters and pollution produce death and disability. In the face of this, it is becoming more and more urgent to act so that all governments understand the importance of ensuring health, but also of educating citizens in the knowledge that they are entitled to it.
The theme for World Health Day 2024 is ‘My health, my right‘. Everyone’s right to enjoy clean water, clean air, sufficient and quality food, decent environmental and working conditions.
In this regard, we could not help but listen to the opinion of Professor Barbara Tavazzi, Head of the UniCamillus School of Medicine in both Rome and Venice.
UniCamillus is a medical university with a strong humanitarian focus. How, during their academic path, are students encouraged to be active in promoting health as a fundamental human right?
“I believe that our University is in all respects committed to the humanitarian mission, both nationally and internationally. This aspect is highlighted by the principle that unites all our degree courses —both MA and BA —, namely the dissemination of a culture of health, prevention and inclusive medicine. These concepts are disseminated from the very first modules within each degree course, because we want to convey to the students right from the start that it is essential to consider the dignity of the patient and their needs.”
In order to access a right, it is important to be aware that you are a recipient of it. How important is education in being aware of one’s own health? How does UniCamillus go about this?
“I believe that education in the awareness of how important one’s own health is goes hand in hand with the broader meaning used by the Italian Constitution, that is the full development of the human person and quality of life.
Health education is the process by which individuals learn to consciously make decisions useful for maintaining and improving their health. A process that continues through all stages of life, improving skills for everyday life.
We all have the right to protect our health, remembering also that the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union stipulates that all Union policies and activities must ensure the protection of human health.
Education in the awareness of the importance of one’s own health must be the responsibility of all academic institutions, starting with school, which we can define as the first place where children learn how to be healthy because they develop skills, knowledge and abilities to be used consciously and with autonomy of judgement for the protection of their own health and in the adoption of correct lifestyles.
This was well demonstrated during the recent COVID-19 pandemic.
UniCamillus, as a University dedicated to Biomedical Sciences, adopts prevention and health promotion as an educational approach to increase the physical, mental and social well-being of the population and thus reduce or prevent the occurrence of diseases.
Of course, this is all part of a transfer of knowledge first from teachers to students, and then from our graduates to the community. In fact, our interest is to train health professionals who are able, by different measures and methods, to positively influence the behaviour and/or living conditions of the population they address and to make individuals, members of a family, of a community, of a state, perceive how progress in health also stems from their individual responsibility.”
What is the role of academic institutions and health organisations in ensuring that health is considered a fundamental human right?
“The right to health is an integral part of internationally recognised fundamental human rights: I believe that since the second half of the 1940s we have been talking about the right to health as a human right, and not only, since the right to medical care was also considered.
It is self-evident that the right to health is relevant, or should be so for all states: each of them has ratified at least one international human rights instrument recognising this right.
Universities in recent years have tried to quickly change their perspective to effectively address health-related problems, training doctors and health personnel who not only advocate health and disease prevention, but also work with all other sectors of society to develop solutions that reduce inequalities.
Associated with this is the activity of many national and international health organisations, with which, however, cohesion must be increased in order to be able to deal with the social determinants of health in a more effective and targeted manner.
In order to achieve the indissoluble right to health, academic education should be much more harmonised within the health system, it will have to create alliances and consortia with institutions in the world of health, and above all keep up with what global health and healthcare requires, thanks also to new training and educational paths, pedagogical resources and scientific innovations.”