World Health Day is a chance to both recognise the
progress made in improving global public health since the
World Health Organization was founded 75 years ago and
acknowledge how far we have to go.
This year’s World
Health Day, celebrated on Friday 7 April, is focused on
“Health for All”, envisioning a future where all people,
including the billions who cannot access essential
healthcare today, have good health and can live a fulfilling
life in a peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable
world.
Director-General of Health Dr Diana Sarfati
says the health of New Zealanders has improved in many ways
over the past 75 years.
In 1948, New Zealand was in
the midst of a polio epidemic that would claim 77 lives, the
median person’s life was 13 years shorter than today, and
babies were more than seven times more likely to die in
childbirth. Despite a younger population, a New Zealander in
1948 was significantly more likely to die of cancer than
someone today.
“Today we have eradicated Polio in
New Zealand, drastically improved the chance that mothers
and babies will survive childbirth, increase the life
expectancy of all New Zealanders and their chance of
surviving cancer,” Dr Sarfati says.
“However,
celebrating the health successes of the past 75 years cannot
occur without acknowledging our failures to achieve health
equity, particularly in fulfilling our obligations under the
Treaty of Waitangi to support Māori to live healthier
lives. While life expectancy for Māori has increased since
1948, we have made little progress in closing the health
inequity gap.
“Māori continue to live shorter
lives, continue to have worse maternal and perinatal
mortality rates, and are about twice as likely to die if
they are diagnosed with cancer compared to New Zealand
Europeans.”
Last year’s Pae Ora health reforms,
including the establishment of Te Aka Whai Ora – the
Māori Health Authority, Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand
and Te Pou Hauora Tūmatanui – the Public Health Agency –
provides a once-in-a-generation opportunity to achieve
Health for All in Aotearoa New Zealand by making equity a
foundation of the health system.
“World Health Day
is a call to strengthen our focus on supporting groups,
including Māori, Pacific people, and disabled people, that
continue to experience poorer health
outcomes.
“Fulfilling the promise of Pae Ora will
take time but the past shows that advances in medical care
and technology, public health measures, and better access to
health knowledge can led to healthier lives for all New
Zealanders.”
Facts and
figures
Life
expectancy
· According to the latest Stats
NZ figures, the median person today lives about 13 years
longer than they would have 75 years ago.
· In 1948,
the median male lived to about 67, and a female to 69. In
2019, this had risen to 78 years for males and 83 years for
females.
Cancer
· Despite an
ageing population and a growing number of people living with
cancer, the proportion of the population dying from cancer
each year has decreased since 1948.
· In 1948, there
were 136 cancer deaths for every 100,000 New Zealanders.
Today (2018) that number is 114 cancer deaths for every
100,000 New Zealanders, despite a higher proportion of New
Zealanders living with
cancer.
Polio
· Between
November 1947 and July 1949, New Zealand experienced its
fourth major Polio epidemic in 34 years. Over those 19
months, at least 1,406 people had the disease, 805 people
suffered paralysis, and 77 people died.
· In 1961,
New Zealand made oral polio vaccine available and since 1962
only seven cases have been detected in New Zealand, the last
in 1998.
Infant and maternal
mortality
· In 1948, babies in Aotearoa New
Zealand were about seven times more likely to die in
childbirth than they are today [as of 2018], and mothers
were about nine times more likely not to survive pregnancy
compared to today [as of
2018].
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