Self-care is healthcare
– The World Health Organization
As health systems worldwide face a range of challenges, evidence-based self-care offers a promising path toward sustainable healthcare and ensuring health and well-being for all. By promoting prevention, empowerment, health literacy, and cost-effective health management, self-care complements existing healthcare delivery systems. Integrating self-care into our health systems can lead to healthier populations and optimised healthcare resource use.
However, access to evidence-based self-care interventions remains unequal across the globe. This International Self-Care Month (and Day), our campaign celebrates the value and potential of self-care while calling for urgent action from policymakers. We urge them to embrace self-care as a vital component of healthcare by fully embedding it in national health systems and policies.
It is time to act on the evidence: self-care is healthcare.
