Dr Amal Saikia
(amalsaikia53@gmail.com)
Health is one of the most vital assets that any living being possesses and is necessarily regarded as a fundamental right. Healthy individuals build healthy societies and communities. It is the pre-requisite for a productive life and the core concern for promoting quality of life. When people in a community live healthy lives, they are able to contribute to the developmental activities of the society in addition to their individual accomplishments. According to Mahatma Gandhi, “It is health that is real wealth, not pieces of gold and silver”. Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being for an individual. It deteriorates with variations in the physiological and biological aspects of the body. Health depends upon diet, age, mental peace, type of work, etc. Healthy persons can be free of diseases, but that doesn’t refer to being healthy.
World Health Day is one of 11 official health campaigns run by the World Health Organisation. Every year, April 7 is observed as World Health Day, under the sponsorship of the WHO since 1950. The aim is to promote awareness among people about the importance of good health and to mark WHO’s foundation day.
Sustainable Development Goal-3, regarding “good health and well-being”, is one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals established by the United Nations in 2015. It focuses on various aspects of a healthy life and lifestyle. SDG-3 aims to achieve universal health coverage that seeks equitable access to healthcare services for all. Progress has been made in increasing life expectancy and reducing child and maternal mortality. But, still, the death rate of children under the age of five is very high throughout the world.
The environment is a dynamic entity that goes on changing in terms of physical, chemical, and biological systems. The physical environment, consisting of climate, land, water, terrain, plants, and animals, creates a set of surroundings in which individuals sustain their lives. All living beings need a healthy, conductive, and well-suited environment for leading their lives. Deviation of environmental quality from the normal conditions favours growth, colonisation, and the diffusion of diseases. High growth of population and expanding dimensions of human activities are the serious causes of environmental pollution.
Development is a process that creates growth, progress, positive change, or the addition of physical, economic, environmental, social, and demographic components. One of the purposes of development is to raise the level and quality of life. Health development is an integrated and holistic approach that aims at attaining good health status while considering all aspects of human life, society, and environment. But negative and adverse impacts of development lead to varieties of problems affecting human life, the vital one being health hazards. Some of the simple tips for a healthy life are:
– Healthy Diet
– Regular Exercise
– Adequate sleep
– Mental Relaxation
– Avoid tobacco and alcohol.
– Genetic Counselling
– Measure and watch weight at regular intervals.
– Limit unhealthy eating habits.
– Drink water to stay hydrated, and limit sugary beverages.
– Change in work culture
– Eat more often and avoid huge meals.
– Follow a healthy lifestyle.
– Clean and green surroundings
All the stakeholders in health services, like government agencies, mass media, health practitioners, professionals, health educators, etc., can have easy access to information and technological developments in the health sector. Thus, the latest developments in healthcare and disease treatment can provide the basis to go ahead with managing and promoting better health for all.
Efforts should be made to increase awareness about the health challenges, promote a healthy lifestyle, and improve access to healthcare services, particularly in remote and rural areas. The governments should also focus on addressing the root causes of these health challenges, including environmental pollution, inadequate sanitation, and poverty. By working together, we can address these health challenges and create a healthier and more prosperous society for all citizens.