public health n. The science and practice
of protecting and improving the health of a community, as by preventative
medicine, health education, control of communicable diseases, application of
sanitary measures, and monitoring of environmental hazards.
- The American Heritage Dictionary
The collective personal health of a population is
the public health. Social, cultural, economic, and political factors all
contribute to the overall wellness of the community. Measuring the impact of
diseases on population is prerequisite to determine effective ways to reduce
the burden of illness. As individual longevity increases, frailty, chronic
disease, and disability rise while physical, mental and cognitive capacities
decline.1
Yes, you have arrived at the right destination, to
“my blog” about nothing special, to be exact. Anyway, I’d love to share one
beautiful thing that I witnessed in one particular clinic last Sunday.
Generally, non-communicable diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and
asthma do not pose imminent threats to public health. In addition, they are not
a major cause of morbidity, disability, and mortality worldwide but without
effective interventions for the treatment and control, they can affect people
lives especially in developing countries.
As an effort to help people suffering those
diseases, a group of physician and general practitioners are integrated into
team to deliver primary health care services at Mhan Kinn Monastery, Thar Kay
Ta, Yangon. It is just a small service orientation action, which was founded 4
years ago to help needed patients. Funding mostly comes from the founder’s
family and their acquaintances and the clinic opens every Sunday from 8 a.m to
12 a.m. The patient can get their blood sugar level tested either for free or
for 500 kyats /person depending on ones’ socio-economic status. ECG can be
tested if necessary. Then, based on the previous medical record and recent
examination, the patient can get necessary medicines for coming week or weeks
for free. Of course, the patient has to provide the used tablet covers to make
sure their regular medication intake and to prevent potential fraud.
In my opinion, it simply functions to bridge the
gap between patients and health resources, between communities and primary
healthcare services. Access to care is increased when it provides free
consultation and medicines for a week or more based on the symptoms. Overall,
information, health education, and communication strategies concerning disease
patterns and risk factors are still lacking in the community. Advocacy is
extremely important in prevention and control of their diseases, as I can’t
help but hearing their daily habits in life: smoking, lack of physical
exercises, excessive consumption of unhealthy food ingredients, etc.
1. Markle W H. et al, 2007, Understanding Global Health, Mc Graw Hill,
USA.
