Marking World Health Day 2014 in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

World Health Day 2014 was celebrated through a series of events in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia organized by the WHO Country Office in cooperation with relevant institutions, particularly the Ministry of Health, Institute for Occupational Health, WHO Collaborative Centre and the Macedonian Doctor’s Association.

High-level political support

The Ministry of Health praised WHO support in strengthening health system capacities and announced ambitious plans for enhancement of the health services and education of doctors on this subject.  

Campaign materials

Materials produced for World Health Day 2014 by WHO were translated into the local languages (Macedonian and Albanian), including banners, posters, folders, CDs and leaflets, the latter of which were distributed to more than 100 national and local public health institutions, hospitals and relevant health professionals in the country. 

Technical meeting

A meeting of technical experts was organized on 3 April 2014 in cooperation with the Institute for Occupational Health, a WHO collaborating centre, focused on key issues related to the emergence of new vector-borne diseases in the European Region and the specific situation within the country.     

How to address this threat within the Health 2020 context and the specific link to workers' health were also discussed. The participants agreed that updated plans are needed to implement prevention measures, harmonize approaches and coordinate future actions to fight existing and emerging threats from Aedes mosquitoes and other vectors.

The participants included relevant experts in epidemiology and public health and representatives of the occupational health sector, the Ministry of Health, the city of Skopje, the labour inspectorate, the Association for Protection of Workers Health and  WHO.

Traditional celebration

The WHO Country Office provided support for a traditional celebration organized by the Macedonian Doctor’s Association.

Media coverage

The National Institute for Public Health held a press conference to promote World Health Day and WHO counterparts spread the vital WHO recommendations for preventing vector-borne diseases to the  general through all media in the country (television, newspapers and internet portals).

The WHO Country Office will continue to stress the World Health Day message “Small bite, big treat”, at various events organized throughout the year as part of the biennial collaborative agreement 2014–2015.