Pediatrician's Day (20/11)

The celebration of Pediatrician's Day is inextricably linked with the celebration of World Children's Day, which dates back to 1954, when the UN General Assembly made recommendations to UN member states.

On November 20, 1959, the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child. This document, the adoption of which was a logical continuation of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, proclaimed the basic principles of child protection. Further documentary international legal development in the field of protecting children's rights occurred thirty years later, in 1989, when the UN, in addition to existing regulations, adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Following UN recommendations, most member countries of this organization have established a celebration of World Children's Day, timed to coincide with the UN Declaration of the Rights of the Child. This holiday, aimed at ensuring the well-being of children around the world, began to be celebrated in many countries simultaneously with Pediatrician – Day, a doctor who has been protecting the health of children since their birth. Among all medical specialties, it is pediatrics that is the first to take care of the child’s health. That is why both holidays go hand in hand in many countries of the world.

The importance of a pediatrician in people's lives can hardly be overestimated. Caring for the health of the child becomes one of the main ones in the life of parents after the birth of the baby. A good pediatrician for parents becomes a reliable support for many years. Concern for the future of family, society and the state – this is how the work and specifics of the work of children's doctors can be characterized on a global scale.

Despite the constant development of medicine, including pediatrics, there are still many outbreaks on Earth where the infant mortality rate caused by infectious diseases, low levels of parent culture, malnutrition and unsanitary conditions remains high. Children, like older people, belong to the least protected category of citizens. This requires special attention from states.

The development of pediatrics, ensuring that children's doctors can receive high-quality education and the proper level of knowledge, have modern high-tech diagnostic and treatment equipment, a full range of medications, decent conditions for providing medical care to children – are just certain aspects of what the World Health Organization calls for attention authorities, Child Protection Funds, and health care institutions. A special place is occupied by the issue of a personal approach to personnel selection of candidates for the specialty of pediatrician. After all, this profession is connected not just with the provision of medical services, and requires from the doctor not only purely medical knowledge, but also special psychological skills, skills, and personal qualities that allow him to work with children.

Russian doctors have made a huge contribution to the development of pediatrics. The Russian school of pediatrics is famous for such names as S.F. Khotovitsky, N.A. Tolsky, N.F. Filatov, N.P. Gundobin, G.N. Speransky, N.S. Korsakov, V.I. Molchanov, Yu.F. Dombrovskaya, A.A. Baranov, L.M. Roshal and many others.

Traditionally, Pediatrician's Day is celebrated with charity events, medical symposia, and conferences. Exchange of experience and health education in the field of pediatrics become the main topics of such events.



Postcard «November 20 — Pediatrician's Day» Article «Doctor, Mom, Me and Dad for Moral Support»

1880