World Dignity Day celebrations

World Dignity Day this year we have celebrated World Dignity Day on two dates.  In the UK we used the 14th October.  Greetings were sent to our colleagues around the world as well in the UK.  Champions stopped for think about what Dignity means to them as well as holding local events to focus on Dignity or sign up new Champion. 

In New Zealand Debbie Leyland organised an event on 21st October in Aukland to highlight the issue of access to healthcare.   Called Hands Around the Beehive the event arose out of her own experience of not being able to access healthcare for her son. The reasons behind this are given below, and highlights the fact that it is not just in non-developed countries that healthcare is hard to access.

The right to health care is a fundamental human right, not a privilege. Every human being deserves to be treated with dignity and to have access to the health care they need, regardless of age, background or circumstances. The World Health Organization's 2026 publication highlights the global challenge of unmet health care needs, including an estimated 4.6 billion people worldwide who are not fully covered by essential health services. Behind these figures are adults, children and families affected by barriers to care. No one should be denied essential health services because they cannot afford them. Every adult and every child deserves dignity, compassion and equitable access to health care. We must work together to ensure that health care is recognised and upheld as a fundamental human right for every person, everywhere.

There was a national minute of silence at 2p.m. NZ time, and that pause was a loud voice calling out for the right to healthcare for everyone regardless of who they are or where they live.  In the UK we held a minute of thought and prayer at 2p.m. on the 21st local time, and considered the plight of those who are denied access to healthcare, because of poverty, conflict or personal circumstances, adding our voice to that global shout.