Sufficient information on WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION, a medico 3rd year MBBS should know. This PPT is made by using various textbooks and reference books like- K. Park, etc. For any issue or query, please write to me dr.kaushik.apaar@gmail.com.

1. WHO
APAAR KAUSHIK

2. TIME LINE
1945
• An international conference at San Francisco held to set up united nations.
• China and Brazil proposed to form an international health organisation.
1946
• An international conference at New York held to set up.
• At that conference, Interim Commission was formed to prepare the ground for the new organisation.
1948
• On 7th April, 1948, WHO was established as an international health organisation.

3. WHO- AN ORGANISATION
• Who as an organisation, is non-political, specialised health agency of the united nations.
• The constitution of who WAS framed by “Technical Preparatory Committee” in 1946
under the leadership of Rene Sand. The constitution was approved by the international
conference at New York in the same year constituting about 51 countries.
• The constitution was came into force on 7th April, 1948. This day is thus celebrated as
World Health Day.
• Headquarters- Geneva, Switzerland.

4. OBJECTIVES OF WHO
• WHO has its own constitution, own governing bodies, own membership and own
budget.
• Some key objectives as mentioned in constitution are as follows:-
 Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well being and not merely an absence
of disease.
 Health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being without distinction of race,
religion, political belief, economic condition and social condition.
 Unequal development in different countries in promotion of health and control of disease, is a
danger.
 Governments are responsible for providing health to their citizens.

5. MEMBERSHIP AT WHO
• Membership is open to all countries.
• Any country can become a member of WHO.
• Each and every member has to contribute yearly to the budget for WHO. all contributors will
get the services and aids provided by the organisation.
• In 1948, WHO has only 56 members.
• Now WHO has around 194 members and 2 associative members.
• Associative member: Territories which are not responsible for the conduct of their
international relations are classified as associative members.

6. WORKS OF WHO
• As per constitution- ‘to act as the directive and coordinative authority on all international health work’.
This function allows WHO:
1. To identify collectively priority health programs throughout the world.
2. To define collectively health policies and targets to cope with them.
3. To devise collectively strategies, principles and programmes to attain the targets.
• Prevention and control of specific diseases
• Development of comprehensive health programmes.
• Biomedical research.
• Family health.
• Environmental health
• Health statistics
• Health literature amd information
• Cooperation with other organisations

7. STRUCTURE OF WHO
• WHO has 3 principal organs:
1. The World Health Assembly
2. The Executive Board
3. The Secretariat

8. 1. THE WORLD HEALTH ASSEMBLY
• Health parliament of the nations.
• It meets annually mostly at Headquarters, Geneva usually in the month of May.
• All members of the organisation send their representatives and each one has 1 vote.
• Functions:
1. To determine international health policies and programmes
2. To review the work of past year
3. To approve the budget needed for the following year
4. To elect a person to serve for 3 years on the executive board and to replace the retiring
members

9. 2. THE EXECUTIVE BOARD
• Total members- 34.
• It meets atleast twice a year usually in January and shortly after the WHA in May.
• Functions:
1. To give effect to the policies and decisions of the assembly.
2. To act immediately in times of emergency like epidemics/tsunamis/earthquake/flood, etc as
and when the action is needed.

10. 3. THE SECRETARIAT
• Head- Director General. Usually assisted by Asstt. Director Generals.
• Its main function is to provide member states with technical and managerial support for
their national health programs.