Public Health Services, whose functions include protecting and promoting people's health, improving wellbeing and reducing the risk of illness, are a central pillar of the role of local health authorities, the backbone of public health systems around the world. In order to highlight the authorities’ work and draw attention to their situation and needs, the International Association of National Public Health Institutes (IANPHI) joins with The Robert Koch Institute to mark the International Local Health Authority Day, on 19 March.

Unlike hospitals and medical practices, which mainly concentrate on individual patient care, local health authorities focus on population-based approaches and addressing the wide determinants of health. This includes looking at economic factors and social and cultural factors which can be a significant barrier to some communities accessing regular healthcare services.

For local health authorities around the world, understanding the needs of local populations and the everyday reality and diversity of different communities, is key to their ability to effectively serve those communities, ensuring all groups, irrespective of age, cultural background, religion, gender identity, social circumstances, and health status have equitable access to the information, knowledge and services needed to protect, promote health and treat illness. Meeting this diversity requires structures and staff who act with sensitivity, competence, and without discrimination.

IANPHI is a global network of 127 National Public Health Institutions based in 108 countries. It builds public health capacity by connecting, developing and strengthening National Public Health Institutes world-wide working with national governments and in close partnership with the World Health Organisation (WHO). A key strand of IANPHI's work is to understand and act to address inequalities in health, to ensure that marginalised and vulnerable groups benefit fully from investments made in maintaining and improving heath. IANPHI’s Secretariat is based at the Robert Koch Institute in Berlin, Germany.

RKI has proclaimed the Local Health Authority Day on 19 March since 2019, each year under a different theme. This year’s theme is “Diversity for Health”. Local health authorities throughout Germany use this occasion to showcase their work to the public. This day is selected to mark Local Health Authority Day, as it is the birth date in 1745 of Johann Peter Frank, a German physician and social medicine specialist considered a founder of Public Health.