Important Dates for World Healthcare Awareness Days

A national or international awareness day is a date usually set by a major organisation or government to commemorate a public health or ethical cause of importance on a national or international level.

Month of February

World Cancer Day is marked on February 4 to raise awareness of cancer and to encourage its prevention, detection, and treatment. World Cancer Day was founded by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) to support the goals of the World Cancer Declaration, written in 2008.

International Epilepsy Day, a joint initiative created by the International Bureau for Epilepsy (IBE) and the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE), is a global event celebrated annually on the 2nd Monday of February, to promote awareness on epilepsy right around the world. With IBE and ILAE representation in more than 140 countries, this is a powerful opportunity to highlight the problems faced by people with epilepsy, their families and carers, in every region of the world.

Month of April

For World Parkinson’s Day on April 11th to encourage everyone to get behind the cause and raise funds for a cure.

Month of May

International Nurses Day (IND) is an international day observed around the world on 12 May (the anniversary of Florence Nightingale's birth) each year, to mark the contributions that nurses make to society.

On 19 May, let's honour and appreciate the tireless efforts of family doctors and primary care teams in improving health care outcomes and creating healthier communities worldwide. Let's celebrate World Family Doctors Day.

Month of September

World Physiotherapy Day is on 8th September every year. The day is an opportunity for physiotherapists from all over the world to raise awareness about the crucial contribution the profession makes to keeping people well, mobile and independent.

World Alzheimer’s Day, September 21st of each year, is a day on which Alzheimer’s organizations around the world concentrate their efforts on raising awareness about Alzheimer’s and dementia. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, a group of disorders that impairs mental functioning. Every 68 seconds, someone develops Alzheimer’s disease. At current rates, experts believe the number of Americans living with Alzheimer’s will quadruple to as many as 16 million by the year 2050.

The significance of September 25th for World Pharmacists Day is because this is the anniversary of the day, in 1912, that the International Pharmaceutical Federation was founded. Since 2009, the day has been celebrated each year.

World Heart Day takes place on 29 September every year and is a chance for people across the globe to take part in the world's biggest intervention against cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Month of October

The International Day of Older Persons is observed on October 1 each year. The holiday is celebrated by raising awareness about issues affecting the elderly, such as senescence and elder abuse. It is also a day to appreciate the contributions that older people make to society.

On 12 October, World Arthritis Day will be celebrated around the globe. World Arthritis Day aims to raise awareness of the condition and make sure that sufferers and caregivers know all the support and help that is available to them.

World Occupational Theray Days is observed on October 27.

World Stroke Day is observed on October 29 to underscore the serious nature and high rates of stroke, raise awareness of the prevention and treatment of the condition, and ensure better care and support for survivors. On this day, organizations around the world have facilitated events emphasizing education, testing, and initiatives to improve the damaging effects of stroke worldwide. 

The Breast Cancer Awareness Month, marked in countries across the world every October, helps to increase attention and support for the awareness, early detection and treatment as well as palliative care of this disease.

Month of November

World Diabetes Day is the primary global awareness campaign of the diabetes world and is held on November 14 each year.

Month of December

World AIDS Day is held on 1 December each year. It raises awareness across the world and in the community about the issues surrounding HIV and AIDS.