Editor's note:

World Health Day, established by the World Health Organization (WHO), is observed annually on April 7 to raise public health awareness, drive policy action, and promote the ongoing advancement of global health. 

In 2025, under the theme “Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures,”the focus will be on maternal and newborn health, with an emphasis on reducing preventable maternal and neonatal deaths and improving the quality of care for mothers and infants.

Despite progress in global health, challenges remain, such as high maternal and newborn mortality rates and significant disparities in healthcare access across regions. In response, World Health Day drives global initiatives, policy discussions, and social action to strengthen health systems and promote health equity, contributing to sustainable development worldwide.

This issue of In Focus explores innovations in public health, highlighting how cities are improving healthcare resource allocation and enhancing health services. It examines how diverse solutions can strengthen health system resilience, improve public well-being, and foster collaborative frameworks to tackle complex health challenges.

(Deserving Initiative 2023)

In China, neonatal jaundice remains a significant health concern, affecting 60% of full-term infants and 80% of preterm infants. Severe cases can lead to high-mortality complications, such as bilirubin encephalopathy, with a mortality rate of 50%-75%. Under traditional diagnostic and treatment models, a dual dilemma arises due to insufficient parental recognition and the misallocation of healthcare resources: misdiagnosis at the grassroots level, while tertiary hospitals handle a large number of non-severe cases. As such, rapid identification, early diagnosis, and emergency treatment of severe jaundice cases are crucial.

To address this, Guangzhou has established a home-based neonatal jaundice monitoring system that shares test results with the healthcare system via the internet. Parents can conduct jaundice risk assessments at home, with test data synchronized in real-time to a regional medical cloud platform. The system innovatively establishes a three-tiered response mechanism: when indicators exceed safe thresholds, it automatically triggers a home visit by a community doctor and prioritizes consultation at specialized hospitals, creating a closed-loop management system.

Through the smart neonatal health management system, mothers and family members can assess the newborn’s health status and predict the risk of jaundice. Community healthcare workers and pediatricians at tertiary hospitals can access comprehensive health records through the system, enabling quick referrals. This provides an efficient, intelligent screening tool for early identification and management of severe jaundice cases, optimizing healthcare resource utilization.

Learn more: https://www.guangzhouaward.org/a/3349.html?lang=en

(Winning Initiative 2020)

Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the safe disposal of medical waste became a major global public health challenge. Drawing on lessons from the SARS outbreak, Chongqing established a “3-Level Emergency Mechanism” to ensure the scientific management and efficient disposal of medical waste. Chongqing also collaborated with Wuhan to address its medical waste disposal issues. With support from the Chongqing government, Wuhan rapidly built an emergency disposal center for COVID-19 medical waste, effectively managing waste from Lei-Shen-Shan and Huo-Shen-Shan makeshift hospitals and other healthcare facilities, ensuring a safe healthcare environment.

This collaboration not only resolved medical waste disposal challenges during the pandemic but also provided a replicable model for global public health, offering valuable lessons, particularly for cities in developing countries in emergency medical waste management and public health governance.

Learn more: https://www.guangzhouaward.org/a/1317.html?lang=en

(Deserving Initiative 2020)

Puri, located on the east coast of India, faces a severe water crisis—over half of the city's households lack access to piped water, and the existing water supply system poses significant water quality risks, directly threatening the health of over 200,000 residents. In response, the municipal authorities launched an innovative water supply plan in 2019, aiming to provide all households with high-quality drinking water that requires no further treatment, through the construction of a direct drinking water pipeline system.

The initiative, led by the Odisha state government, prioritizes coverage for impoverished communities to reduce the health risks posed by contaminated water sources and simultaneously reduce residents’ reliance on water purification devices. Initially, the initiative faced resistance due to a lack of trust in the water quality. To address this, the Puri city government launched public health awareness campaigns, established a visual water quality monitoring platform to share real-time data from key areas, and formed women’s self-help groups to conduct household water testing, collect water fees, and provide feedback on issues, creating a community-based governance mechanism.

Currently, the initiative benefits 80,000 residents, significantly reducing the incidence of waterborne diseases. The environmental benefits are particularly notable: the nearby Shri Jagannath Temple, which receives 18 million pilgrims annually, has seen a sharp reduction in bottled water consumption due to the direct drinking water facilities, leading to a decrease of 365 tons of plastic waste per year. This initiative has successfully promoted both health improvement and environmental protection.

Learn more: https://www.guangzhouaward.org/a/1424.html?lang=en

(Deserving Initiative 2016)

Implemented since 2010, the School at Hospital project aims to safeguard the educational and health rights of hospitalized children and adolescents. Funded by the city government and promoted through collaboration between the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Public Health, the project established an education network covering all hospitals in Bogotá and trained teachers with backgrounds in education, psychology, and medicine. Hospital classrooms not only help children catch up on academic progress lost due to illness but also foster the development of autonomy, decision-making abilities, and social skills, enhancing their overall physical and mental well-being.

This project innovatively integrates education and public health, emphasizing the protection of children’s educational rights during medical treatment and preventing social disconnection caused by long-term hospitalization. In addition to providing academic support, the initiative offers psychological interventions to help children manage the emotional impacts of illness and promote psychological recovery. Drawing on the success of the Latin American hospital classroom network, the project has achieved significant public health outcomes.

To date, 18,374 students have benefited from the program, covering 20 districts in Bogotá. The initiative has reduced the dropout rate among hospitalized children, ensuring that sick children receive educational opportunities during their treatment, improving their social adaptability and mental health. It has become a model of integrating public health and education.

Learn more: https://www.guangzhouaward.org/a/740.html?lang=en