World Health Organization

WHO
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION

Birth of the WHO
The WHO has its origin in April 1945, during the conference held at San Francisco to set up
the United Nations.
The World Health Organization is a specialized, non political, health agency of the United
Nations, with headquarters at Geneva.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of the WHO is "the attainment by all people's of the highest level of health"
which is set out in the preamble of the Constitution. The current objective of WHO is the
attainment by all people of the world a level of health that will permit them to lead a socially
and economically productive life.
Definition :-"Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not
merely the absence of disease or infirmity”.
Two major policy developments have influenced the WHO.
First, the Alma-Ata Conference in 1978 on primary health care which provided both WHO
and UNICEF with a common charter for health, and
secondly, the Global Strategy for Health for All by 2000, and
STRUCTURE
• The WHO consists of three principal organs :
1. The World Health Assembly,
2. The Executive Board and
3. The Secretariat
 The World Health Assembly

The main functions of the Health Assembly are :
(i) to determine international health policy and programmes
(ii) to review the work of the past year
(iii) to approve the budget needed for the following year and
(iv) to elect Member States to designate a person to serve for three years on the Executive Board, and
(v)to replace the retiring members.
The Health Assembly also appoints the Director General on the nomination of the Executive Board.
The World Health Assembly, in May 1977, decided that the main social goal of governments and WHO in
the coming years should be the "attainment by all the people of the world by the year 2000 AD of a level
of health that will permit them to lead a socially and economically productive life". This goal has come to
2. The Executive Board
• The Board had originally 18 members, each designated by a Member State.
Subsequently, the number was raised to 24 and 30. The Health Assembly (1976)
increased the membership from 30 to 31, providing that no fewer than three are to be
elected from each of the WHO regions. The board now has 34 members.
• The Executive Board meets at least twice a year, generally in January and shortly after
the meeting of the World Health Assembly in May.
• The main work of the Board is to give effect to the decisions and policies of the
Assembly. The Board also has power to take action itself in an emergency, such as
epidemics, earthquakes and floods where immediate action is needed.
3. The Secretariat
The secretariat is headed by the Director General who is the chief technical and
administrative officer of the Organization.
• The primary function of the WHO secretariat is to provide Member States with
technical and managerial support for their national health development programmes.
The secretariat, by 2010, is staffed by about 8000 health and other experts and
The WHO Secretariat comprised of the following divisions. ·
• 1. Division of epidemiological surveillance and health situation and trend assessment.
• 2. Division of communicable diseases.
• 3. Division of vector biology and control.
• 4. Division of environmental health.
• 5. Division of public information and education for health.
• 6. Division of mental health.
• 7. Division of diagnostic, therapeutic and rehabilitative technology.
• 8. Division of strengthening of health services.
• 9. Division of family health.
• 10. Division of non-communicable diseases.
• 11. Division of health manpower development.
• 12. Division of information systems support.
• 13. Division of personnel and general services.
FUNCTIONS OF WHO
WHO's first Constitutional function is to act as the directing and coordinating
authority on all international health work.
The WHO also has specific responsibilities for establishing and promoting
international standards in the field of health, which comprise the following broad
areas :
1. PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF SPECIFIC DISEASES
2. DEVELOPMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH SERVICES
3. FAMILY HEALTH
4. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
5. HEALTH STATISTICS
6. BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH
7. HEALTH LITERATURE AND INFORMATION
8. COOPERATION WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS

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WHO

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION

 The World Health Assembly

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