ABU DHABI, 6th April 2025 (WAM) -- The UAE will mark World Health Day tomorrow. This year, the World Health Organisation (WHO) launched a global campaign titled "Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures". The campaign aims to encourage governments and the global health community to intensify efforts to eliminate preventable maternal and newborn deaths.

According to the WHO, approximately 300,000 women around the world die annually due to pregnancy or childbirth-related complications. In addition, more than two million infants die within the first month of life, while around two million others are stillborn each year.

World Health Day provides an opportunity to spotlight the UAE's significant achievements in delivering high-quality healthcare services that help reduce health risks for mothers and newborns.

In 2024, the UAE launched the National Policy for the Promotion of Women's Health, which outlines healthcare requirements for women throughout the various stages of life, including during the reproductive years.

The UAE offers one of the world's leading maternal healthcare systems. It begins with premarital medical screenings, continues with regular prenatal care to ensure the health and development of both mother and baby, and extends through childbirth services and breastfeeding education.

The nation also runs national programmes for the early detection of breast cancer, cervical cancer, and osteoporosis, among others.

At the same time, the UAE remains committed to providing high-quality, comprehensive healthcare services to children from birth through adolescence. This is achieved through an advanced network of specialised hospitals, paediatric clinics, preventive care programmes, early disease screening, routine immunisations, mental health services, therapeutic nutrition programmes, and more-designed to meet children's needs at every stage of development.

Among the standout initiatives is the newborn screening programme run by Emirates Health Services (EHS), which targets infants from birth to 28 days old. The programme includes early screening for genetic disorders, critical congenital heart defects, and hearing impairments. It is implemented across all public and specialised hospitals under the EHS umbrella that offer maternity services.

EHS also provides comprehensive screening for genetic and congenital diseases in newborns, ensuring timely treatment and follow-up to prevent physical and cognitive disabilities and reduce mortality rates. Additionally, the institution offers a full spectrum of care for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), including early screening services at primary healthcare centres for children aged 16 to 30 months.