World Health Day: Evolving maternal and newborn health
Today, on 7 April, it is World Health Day 2025
[https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-health-day/2025], dedicated to
raising awareness of global health issues. This year's campaign theme,
‘Healthy beginnings, hopeful futures’, highlights the importance
of improving maternal and newborn health to improve global
well-being. 

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) publications
[https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/376869/9789240094703-eng.pdf?sequence=1],
nearly 300 000 women die annually due to pregnancy or
childbirth-related complications. Additionally, over 2 million
newborns pass away in their first month. These statistics show the
urgent need for action. The WHO’s target to improve maternal
survival by 2030
[https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/themes/topics/sdg-target-3-1-maternal-mortality]
aims to reduce these preventable deaths. Therefore, this campaign
focuses on improving access to quality healthcare, enhancing maternal
care services, ensuring safe delivery practices, and promoting
education and awareness about maternal and newborn health worldwide. 

A component of achieving these goals lies in the use of open health
data. Frameworks like the European Health Data Space Regulation
[https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=OJ:L_202500327]
provide transparent and accessible health information, supporting the
use and exchange of electronic health data across the EU. The most
recent regulation was published on 5 March 2025 and entered into force
on 26 March 2025. Various users, like researchers and healthcare
providers, use the health data to improve healthcare by sharing
medical information, fostering data-driven innovation, and
policymaking. Through these valuable resources, WHO aims to enhance
the quality of maternal and newborn care, eventually contributing to
healthier long-term health and well-being worldwide. 

World Health Day is a reminder of the importance of global health. By
raising awareness and encouraging collaboration, this day contributes
to a healthier future for everyone. Are you interested in more open
health data? Our data.europa.eu
[https://data.europa.eu/data/datasets?locale=en&minScoring=0&categories=HEAL&page=1&limit=10]
health category has more datasets available.

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Publication Date/Time
2025-04-07T08:00:00+00:00
Healthy beginnings, hopeful futures