Discussion Assignment
Discuss the role of Public Health at the community and national levels. Identify what you believe are the most important Essential Public Health Functions and discuss why they are important in concept and practice.
Your Discussion should be 3-4 paragraphs in length, detailing your thoughts and position using 2-3 readings references for support. Also, be sure to pose 1-2 well-thought-out questions from which your colleagues can formulate a response or generate further discussion.
Maintaining public health is the responsibility of all governments. There are many benefits to keeping people healthy and preventing all diseases. In addition to increasing people's happiness, it can be expected to develop and stabilize the economy and improve the production rate (Noppe, 2021). Therefore, governments, local governments, and every public agency must cooperate in the necessary public health functions to achieve and maintain optimal health conditions for their citizens. I will identify what I believe are the most important Essential Public Health Functions from the reading, and discuss why they are important in concept and practice in this discussion assignment.
I chose three important functions from the formulations of essential public health functions of the CDC.
・"Informing, educating, and empowering people about health issues" (World Health Organization, 2018, p.67)
Disseminating basic hygiene knowledge and educating people on how to stay healthy can improve public awareness, attitudes, and behavior and help promote public health as a whole community. For example, educating the public about the importance of washing hands with soap, consuming only clean water, and how to dispose of waste is very important.
・"Enforcing laws and regulations that protect health and ensure safety" (World Health Organization, 2018, p.67)
Enforcement of laws and regulations makes people aware of specific social standards and rules that everyone must be followed and guides them to comply. This is especially useful for companies and local governments. For example, stipulating and restricting waste disposal methods by law will help prevent pollution and protect people's health.
・ "Assuring a competent public and personal health care workforce" (World Health Organization, 2018, p.67)
Medical levels are the basis for confidence in national health. The governments should prepare appropriate medical facilities, equipment, and human resources to provide high-quality medical care. It is also true that public institutions alone cannot cover the health of all citizens, so cooperation with private companies and private hospitals is also essential.
Questions
・Are there any laws in your community for protecting our health, hygiene, or safety?
・What more regulations do you think are needed to improve public health?
References
Noppe, L. (2020). Economy versus public health: A false contradiction. KBC. Retrieved from https://www.kbc.com/en/economics/publications/economy-versus-public-health-a-false-contradiction.html
World Health Organization. (2018). Essential public health functions, health systems and health security: developing conceptual clarity and a WHO roadmap for action. World Health Organization. Retrieved from https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/272597
댓글