Every year on April 7th, the world unites to celebrate World Health Day, honoring the founding of the World Health Organization (WHO) and spotlighting a key area of public health. This year, in 2025, the global theme is both timely and vital: "Maternal and Newborn Health: Invest Now, Save Lives."
The focus is a powerful reminder that behind every statistic is a story, and behind every birth is a network of care that can make the difference between life and loss.
Why Maternal and Newborn Health?
Despite major medical advances, pregnancy and childbirth remain life-threatening for too many women and infants around the world. According to the WHO, an estimated 287,000 women died from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth in 2023, and 2.3 million newborns died within their first month of life.
Most of these deaths were preventable with access to quality prenatal care, skilled birth attendants, and postnatal support. Yet for millions—particularly in low-income regions—these basic services remain out of reach.
The Lifesaving Power of Early Investment
The 2025 campaign encourages governments, healthcare providers, and communities to work together in strengthening maternal care systems. Key strategies include:
Universal access to quality maternal care: Ensuring that all women, regardless of geography or income, receive consistent, high-quality prenatal and birth support.
Skilled health workers at every birth: Training and deploying more midwives, nurses, and doctors to support safe deliveries.
Nutrition and mental health support: Recognizing that a mother’s well-being isn’t just physical, but emotional and nutritional as well.
Technology in healthcare: Leveraging digital tools to provide telehealth check-ups, remote monitoring, and educational outreach to underserved areas.
Stories from the Frontlines
In rural Malawi, a mobile health unit now travels village to village, offering prenatal exams and ultrasounds to expecting mothers who previously had no access to care. In Bangladesh, a text-based health program sends weekly updates to pregnant women, guiding them through each stage of their journey.
“We’re seeing real impact,” says Dr Shrey Srivastav, General Physician, Sharda Hospital -Noida. “When mothers feel supported, they’re more likely to seek care early, attend check-ups, and deliver in safer environments.”
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How You Can Get Involved
Whether you’re a healthcare professional, parent, or advocate, World Health Day is a chance to take action:
Donate to organizations improving maternal care access in underserved regions.
Share stories on social media using hashtags like #WorldHealthDay2025 and #InvestInMothers.
Volunteer or support local maternal health initiatives.
Educate yourself and others about the challenges and solutions in maternal and newborn care.
Bottomline
World Health Day 2025 isn’t just a campaign—it’s a catalyst. It calls on all of us to acknowledge the humanity behind the health data, to amplify the voices of mothers and midwives, and to create systems where every birth is safe, and every life is valued.