Today is World Health Day - an event in the annual calendar to remind us all of the importance, and inequalities, in health as well as healthcare access around the world.
Every year since 1950, on April 7th, the World Health Organization raises its voice on our most pressing global health issues - bringing attention, action and funding to challenges like HIV, malaria, maternal and child health, water access and heart health.
This year and in time to celebrate this event, NCDFREE (a global social movement against the world’s leading causes of death, NCDs) released its latest short film. Crowd-funded by young people for young people, and filmed by a group of NCDFREE volunteers including The George Institute’s Dr Fred Hersch, this latest short films focuses on an inspiring young health hero from Ghana. Exploring his life and work, the film explains that in today’s world, diseases such as diabetes, cancer and heart disease are no longer ailments of only the rich - but have an enormous burden on the world’s poorest nations too.
Through Emmanuel’s voice and story, we see not only the scale of the problem of NCDs in Ghana and their links with poverty - but we also meet a bright, passionate and committed young man, making his mark and bringing health to his community.
I first met Emmanuel three years ago, when I lectured him as a student in the Masters of International Health at the University of Copenhagen. With always a smile and a question, his infectious character and optimism had and continues to have a lasting impression on me.
Wishing you a Happy World Health Day 2014, I hope Emmanuel now has a lasting impression on you too.
This article was originally published on theconversation.com. Read the original here.
(Photo of earth via Shutterstock)
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