Health and care activities in the IFRC include first aid and emergency response as well as epidemic control, programmes in health promotion and prevention, addressing stigma, providing psychosocial care and enabling community empowerment.
Around the world, hundreds of thousands of Red Cross Red Crescent volunteers work in their communities promoting health, preventing diseases and demonstrating positive values.
By the end of 2015, the Red Cross and Red Crescent have reached 15 million people with water and sanitation infrastructure and a further 6.5 million people with hygiene promotion activities.
Health of mothers and children play an integral part in the struggle to reduce poverty. Every year, 60 million women give birth at home with no access to skilled care.
IFRC works with partners to develop an innovative approach to designing surveys and improving the timeliness and accuracy of data collection.
Harm reduction refers to a range of pragmatic and evidence-based public health policies and practices aimed at reducing the negative consequences associated with drug use and other related risk factors.
The IFRC supports the establishment of safe and sustainable blood systems, with a particular emphasis on voluntary non-remunerated blood donation.
The IFRC is one of the world’s leading first aid providers. First aid is a humanitarian act that should be accessible to all. With first aid skills volunteers and communities are empowered to save lives without discrimination.
Psychosocial support is an integral part of the IFRC’s emergency response. It helps individuals and communities to heal psychological wounds and rebuild social structures after an emergency or a critical event. It can help change people into active surviv
The community-based heath and first aid (CBHFA) approach is the Red Cross Red Crescent integrated primary health care approach to community health promotion. It aims to create healthy, resilient communities worldwide and is a vital part in IFRC`s Strategy 2020 and contributes to Millennium Development Goals 4, 5, 6 and 7. Mobilizing communities to improve development This approach comprises a...
Information about HIV/AIDS, malaria, measles, polio and pandemic influenza.
The lives and health of millions of people are affected by emergencies every year. The IFRC works to reduce illness and death and improve health and maintain human dignity during health emergencies.
Road accidents kill more than 1.3 million people, and between 20 and 50 million suffer non-fatal injuries worldwide every year.
The following publications are available to support the promotion of the Red Cross Red Crescent Health programmes.
International first aid and resuscitation guidelines 2016
Beyond Ebola: from dignified response to dignified recovery
More health publications