World Health Organization (WHO): charter, objectives, norms, recommendations

In modern society, one of the main values is human life. To improve its quality and duration sent a large number of events that support the rulers of almost all countries in the world. To coordinate their actions, as well as to perform many other functions in the field of preserving and improving public health, the World Health Organization (WHO) was established, which at the moment is one of the most authoritative and influential organizations in the world.

Start of action and WHO goal

Its activities began in 1948. It was then, on April 7, that the charter was ratified and the first commitments were made, in particular, for example, the development of an international classification of diseases. In the future, WHO continued to take responsibility for the implementation of large-scale programs around the world. One of the most important achievements is the smallpox eradication campaign, which ended successfully in 1981. Areas of influence, activities and functions of the organization are determined by the charter and lead to the same goal - the achievement of the highest level of health that is only possible in these conditions, for all the peoples of the world.

Principles of WHO

The Charter of the World Health Organization defines health as a state of well-being on a physical, mental and social level. And he explains separately that if a person does not have illnesses and physical defects, then it's too early to say that he is healthy, because the state of mental equilibrium and the social factor are not taken into account. WHO member countries, when signing the charter, agree that everyone has the right to enjoy the highest attainable standard of health, and any success of the state in the field of health is of value to all. In addition, there are some principles that are also fundamental, and they are adhered to by all who adopted the charter. Here are some of them.

• Universal health is the main factor for achieving peace and security, and it depends on the degree of cooperation of individuals and states.
• The uneven development of health care, as well as measures to combat diseases in various regions of the world is a common danger.
• The health of the child is a factor of primary importance.
• To give an opportunity to use all the achievements of modern medicine is a necessary condition for a higher level of health.

WHO functions

To achieve the intended goal, the charter stipulates the functions of the organization, which are very extensive and diverse. To translate them, the World Health Organization used all the letters of the Latin alphabet. Since there are quite a lot of them, we give the most important ones. So, WHO functions are as follows:

• Act as a coordinating and governing body in international work in the field of health protection;
• Provide the necessary assistance and technical assistance in public health activities;
• Encourage and develop work to combat various diseases, and support the maintenance that may be required;
• To promote a better education for health and health professions;
• Establish and disseminate international standards for food, pharmaceutical and other products;
• To develop the protection of motherhood and childhood, to take measures to harmonize life.

The work of WHO

The work of the organization is carried out in the form of annual World Health Assemblies, at which representatives from different countries discuss the most important issues in the field of public health. The Director General is elected by the Executive Committee, which includes representatives from 30 countries. The functions of the General Director include the provision of annual estimates and financial statements of the organization. He has the authority to receive the necessary information related to healthcare, directly from government and private institutions. In addition, he is obliged to keep the regional offices informed of all territorial issues.

WHO

The WHO structure includes 6 regional units: European, American, Mediterranean, Southeast Asia, Pacific and Africa. Almost always decisions are taken at the regional level. In autumn, during the annual meeting, representatives from the countries of the region discuss the pressing problems and tasks for their locality, taking appropriate decisions. The regional director, coordinating work at this level, is elected for 5 years. Like the general, he has the authority to directly obtain information in the field of health protection from various institutions in his region.

WHO activities

To date, several of the most important activities of the World Health Organization can be identified. The goals of the millennium are as they are described by various media. They include the following activities:

• Assistance in the elimination and treatment of diseases such as HIV and tuberculosis;
• Assistance in campaigns aimed at improving conditions for pregnant women and children;
• Identification of factors of development of chronic diseases and prevention of their development;
• Assistance in improving the mental health of the population;
• Cooperation in activities aimed at improving adolescent health.

The systematic and constant work of the organization in these areas has been going on for a long time, and, of course, there are achievements. But it's too early to talk about their successful completion.

Achievements of WHO

Among the already recognized achievements of WHO are:

• The eradication of smallpox in the world;
• A significant reduction in the incidence of malaria;
• Vaccination campaign against six infectious diseases;
• HIV detection and control;
• Creation of primary health care services.

ICD

An important activity of WHO is the development and improvement of the international classification of diseases (ICD). It is necessary in order to have the ability to collect, organize and compare data obtained from different regions for a long time. Since 1948, the World Health Organization maintains and supports this work. At the moment there is the 10th revision of the ICD. One of the main achievements of this revision is the translation of the names of diseases into an alphanumeric form. Now the disease is encoded by the letter of the Latin alphabet and three digits after it. This made it possible to increase the coding structure much and reserve free places for diseases of unclear etiology and conditions revealed in the course of research activity. The current classification of WHO is used in the conduct of forensic psychiatric examinations, since this is necessary under the laws of the Russian Federation.

Statistics and norms

An important functional part of the organization is statistical observation of the health status of the population and drawing up on the basis of the results obtained standards that determine the conditions of life for people around the world. For comparability and reliability of data, they are grouped, for example, by age, sex or region of residence, and then processed according to a special methodology developed by OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development), Eurostat and other UN bodies, including WHO. The definition of a rule is based on its statistical content, that is, it is a certain range of values within which most of the data that are characteristic of a certain group of people are located. This helps to objectively assess the health of the population and make appropriate decisions.

It should be noted that WHO standards are periodically revised, due to the emergence of new conditions or errors in the conduct of research. So, 9 years ago the tables of norms of weight and height of the child were revised.

Weight and height of the child

Until 2006, data on the development of children were collected without considering the type of feeding. However, this approach was recognized as erroneous, since artificial nutrition strongly distorted the result. Now, according to the new WHO standards, the child's height and weight are compared with the reference parameters of children who are breastfeeding, since in this case the best quality of nutrition is provided. Special tables and charts help mothers around the world correlate their performance with the standards. On the official website, the World Health Organization hosted the WHO Anthro program, downloading which, you can assess the weight and height of the child, as well as to examine his nutritional status. Deviation from the normative values is an occasion for consultation with the attending physician.

The problem of preserving breastfeeding is given quite a lot of attention. WHO publishing includes the compilation of brochures, posters and other materials, where the rules of the child's natural nutrition are promoted. Printed materials are used in medical institutions and help young mothers breast-feed for a long time, thereby ensuring the most correct and harmonious development of the child.

Organization of breastfeeding

A child's complete nutrition is impossible without mother's milk. Therefore, the mother's help in the proper organization of feeding is one of the important tasks of WHO. Recommendations for organizing breastfeeding are as follows:

• The first time to put the baby to the breast is necessary within an hour after birth;
• Do not feed the newborn from the bottle;
• In the maternity home mom and baby should be together;
• Apply to the breast on demand;
• Do not tear off before the child wants;
• To keep night feedings;
• Not dopaivat;
• Give the opportunity to completely empty one breast before giving another;
• Do not wash the nipples before feeding;
• Do not weigh more than once a week;
• Do not decant;
• Do not introduce complementary foods for up to 6 months;
• Keep breastfeeding for up to 2 years.

Individual standards

If, for some reason, breastfeeding can not be achieved, it should be remembered that artificial children gain weight a little more than babies. Therefore, when comparing the normative indicators with their data, this nuance must be taken into account.

In addition, there are some hereditary parameters that do not fit into the standard picture. For example, growth at birth. Most likely, low-born parents will have a child with a low level of growth, and high - on the contrary, with an overestimate. A slight deviation from the norm should not be a cause for concern, in which case an additional consultation of the pediatrician is simply necessary.

The World Health Organization believes that genetics does not have a big impact on the rates of development of babies for up to a year. The main cause of weight deviations is unbalanced nutrition.