World Health Day 2025

Rose Mabiza

20-02-2024

World Health Day 2025

Image by Garakta-Studio via Envato Elements

Healthy beginnings, hopeful futures: Prioritising maternal and newborn health for a healthier world

Each year, on April 7, we celebrate World Health Day, a global awareness event led by the World Health Organization (WHO) to highlight critical health issues. For 2025, the focus is both urgent and inspiring: “Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures”

This year’s campaign calls on all of us- governments, health systems, educators, and individuals- to work together to safeguard the health and survival of women and babies. At The Mandatory Training Group, we are proud to support this vital initiative by promoting training and compliance tools that help organisations deliver safe, equitable, and high-quality care from the start of life.

2025 Theme - Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures

This year’s theme places maternal and newborn health at the heart of global health priorities. It underscores that safe pregnancies, healthy deliveries, and postnatal care are the foundation of a thriving society.

The campaign aims to:

Eliminate preventable maternal and newborn deaths.
Promote universal access to antenatal, intrapartum, and postnatal care.
Improve long-term outcomes for mothers and infants.
Drive investments in maternity care, health systems, and education.

Why it matters

Despite advances in health care, far too many women and babies are still dying from preventable causes:

Nearly 300,000 women die each year due to pregnancy or childbirth complications.
More than 2 million babies die within their first month of life, and another 2 million are stillborn (WHO, 2024).
Most maternal and newborn deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, yet the majority are preventable.

When we protect the start of life, we protect future generations. A healthy mother and child mean stronger families, communities, and economies.

Key statistics (2024/25)

Every two minutes, a woman dies during pregnancy or childbirth (WHO).
Forty-five million births occur without skilled health workers annually.
Only 60% of women receive the recommended four antenatal visits
Access to clean water, nutrition, and safe birthing environments remains limited in many parts of the world.

How to get involved in World Health Day 2025

Whether you’re a healthcare professional, organisation, or individual, here are ways to support this year’s campaign:

For healthcare workers

Complete refresher training on maternal and neonatal care.
Advocate for evidence-based practices and early intervention.
Support families through culturally competent and compassionate care.

For organisations

Audit your maternity services and training protocols.
Ensure staff are trained in safeguarding, infection control, and communication.
Partner with public health bodies to improve local outreach.

For the public

Share WHO resources on maternal and newborn health.
Support charities or initiatives that provide care in underserved areas.
Educate others on the importance of antenatal and postnatal services.

Best practices for supporting maternal and newborn health

To align with this year’s theme, organisations and professionals should:

Implement comprehensive antenatal and postnatal care pathways
Ensure all staff are trained in emergency obstetric care and newborn resuscitation
Invest in infection prevention, hygiene, and facility safety
Provide trauma-informed care and support for postnatal mental health
Educate communities on reproductive health and safe childbirth options.

Recommendations

Review your organisation’s training in maternal, infant, and safeguarding care.
Invest in digital and face-to-face CPD training to keep your workforce confident and compliant.
Use World Health Day as a platform to educate staff, raise awareness, and advocate for better health services.
Equip teams with the knowledge and tools to reduce preventable harm and improve outcomes for women and children.

Conclusion

This World Health Day 2025, let’s commit to building a future where every woman and newborn survives and thrives. Far too many lives are still lost due to preventable causes, and it's time for collective action. From ensuring access to skilled birth attendants and postnatal care to promoting mental health and safe environments for mothers and babies, health systems must prioritise early-life care as a foundation for lifelong well-being.

At The Mandatory Training Group, we empower professionals and organisations to champion health rights through high-quality training and compliance tools. Our courses are designed to promote safe and inclusive care and build awareness of human rights in health and social care. For organisations, ComplyPlus™ is our innovative compliance platform designed to support health and social care organisations. It ensures that training, audits, policies, and governance are streamlined, helping you deliver care in line with human rights principles. Let’s make a difference because your health is your right!

Last updated on 07-04-2025

About the author

Rose Mabiza

Rose has dedicated over 15 years to improving health and social care quality through practice, targeted education and training. Her extensive experience includes working with older adults, individuals with mental health conditions, and people with autism and learning disabilities.