Factors Affecting Individual Health
According to World Health Organisation, good health is a fundamental right of every individual irrespective of his religion, race, political belief, social and economic condition (World Health Organisation, 2017). But an individual’s health greatly depends upon wide-varying factors, such as social, economic, and physical environment, individual behaviors, and characteristics of the person, etc. One such important factor is the community of the individual, which plays a major role in the individual’s access to a healthy social and physical environment and his access to quality healthcare services (Pinger & Seabert, 2016). This essay will critically analyse how important it is to understand health and illness from a community-based approach and how such an approach can prove to be very helpful for the government in making decisions related to healthcare.
Studies suggest that the health and illness of an individual are greatly dependent upon the overall environment of the individual. Moreover, the social, physical, and economic environment of the individual further depends upon the community to which he belongs. This encompasses the air & water quality, income, housing conditions, neighbourhood conditions, child care, education, recreational facilities, etc. Moreover, adequate healthcare service is of utmost importance and is also the right of every person, yet this right gets infringed in most parts of the world (Pinger & Seabert, 2016). In most countries, the kind of healthcare service provided to an individual varies according to the community or social group to which he belongs. It has been observed that the socio-economic background of an individual greatly decides whether he will receive the key healthcare services at a crucial time or not. Hence it is of utmost importance to look at the individual’s health and illness from a community perspective (Stepanikova & Oates, 2017).
The importance of community on an individual’s health can be further understood by observing the various scenarios from the Covid pandemic era. In developing countries like Thailand, the ordinary people suffered the most, as neither their living conditions allowed social distancing nor did they have access to the healthcare system in those trying times (Wangkiat, 2021). Contrary to this it was found that the upper class had good living conditions as well as accessibility to the healthcare system, all thanks to the money and connections they had, which helped them to endure the pandemic (Wangkiat, 2021). A similar example of this can be the covid-19 vaccine distribution that is currently going on throughout the world. According to a report published in December 2021, the EU, UK, and US received more vaccines in a span of six weeks than those received by African countries in all of 2021 (ReliefWeb, 2021). This clearly shows the disparity in healthcare services based on socio-economic background, not just at the domestic level but at the world level as well. Although communities with scarce resources do put a great hindrance in ensuring good health for the individuals living in them, but the case is not always the same (ReliefWeb, 2021).
Communities that are watchful and aware towards public health can greatly decrease the inequality among their residents in terms of healthcare services and an overall healthy environment for the prosperity of all. Focusing on community health greatly helps in reducing the health gaps developed due to differences like economic and social status, race, location, ethnicity, etc. When health workers, administration, and government work at the community level, it promotes healthy living among its residents. This in turn helps in preventing various chronic diseases and ensures that the greatest number of individuals get the greatest health benefits (Choudhary, 2021). A good example of this can be seen in Liberia, where remote places with very low health facilities have the potential to become epicentres of new upcoming contagious diseases, but the country’s government has come up with a unique approach (BBC Future, 2022). The Liberian government has recruited local community members to help the government spot any infectious disease at the source itself and prevent it from spreading across the world. This approach is targeted towards the overall community, preventing every individual from the infectious diseases, irrespective of their social or financial background (BBC Future, 2022).
Role of Community in Access to Healthcare
Most developing countries have a major proportion of the population living in rural areas, such that they are not having access to good medical facilities and proper care. Among these elderly people, new born babies, pregnant women, and people having chronic illnesses are at extremely high risk when they are living in a distant location from medical facilities. Hence, to tackle such challenges a community-focused health approach is of utmost importance (Choudhary, 2021). A good example of this can be seen in the Chautauqua County of the US, where frequently occurring chronic diseases were becoming a big health crisis (Bacon, 2022). Public healthcare workers along with several organisations have gone beyond their duty to identify the root causes of these diseases, such as poor nutrition, improper housing facilities, and civic infrastructure, animal bites, etc. To tackle this the healthcare workers are focusing on policy and system change, creating awareness among the community members. Hence it is very much evident that in order to ensure individual health it is of prime importance to adopt a community-focused approach (Bacon, 2022).
The Evidence And Understanding Related To Community Focused Approach In Ensuring Individual Health Can Greatly Help The Governments To Formulate Their Policies and decisions accordingly. At a time when the disparity in terms of accessing healthcare services is increasing, it becomes even more important that the health-related policies of governments are inclusive (Kumar, et al., 2020). A good example of this can be seen in the recent campaign ‘Idam’ launched by the government in the Kerala state of India (Rana, 2022). Through this campaign, the government aims to ensure fairness in terms of access to healthcare services for every citizen regardless of their gender. The campaign will initiate from government-run hospitals and gradually expand to the private ones and will ensure that all the minority communities including the LGBTQ community get quality healthcare (Rana, 2022).
A fair distribution of resources from the government’s side also encourages the community members to actively participate to enhance community health, a good example of this can be seen in how Cambodia and Lao People’s Democratic Republic are aiming to eliminate Malaria from the Greater Mekong subregion (World Health Organisation, 2022). Under this approach, the malaria services of health centres are being decentralized to community members assigned with the job of village malaria workers. These village malaria workers greatly support the health administration in vector control, reinforcing early diagnosis, and prophylaxis for the communities at risk, involving intermittent preventive treatment for forest goers (IPTf) and targeted drug administration (TDA). Furthermore, the administration is also greatly benefited by the local knowledge of the village malaria workers, which helps them to educate and engage the villagers about the risks of malaria, encourage prevention, and elimination goals (World Health Organisation, 2022).
Altogether, it can be concluded that individual health greatly depends upon the community of the individual. The community encompasses the physical and social environment of the individual, which further involves numerous factors like housing, economic conditions, education, healthcare facilities, etc. Hence, in order to ensure individual health and wellness, it is necessary to adopt a community-centric approach. Such an approach help in ensuring the greater good of most members of society. When governments take a community health approach, it also helps in the fair distribution of resources and ensures that healthcare services reach every section of the society irrespective of their caste, creed, gender or ethnicity. Such approaches have demonstrated brilliant results all around the world, helping the governments to ensure more inclusive health policies, thereby enhancing public health as well as winning the trust of the minority sections of the society.
References
Bacon, G. (2022). Public health workers focus on community, wellness. Retrieved from https://www.observertoday.com/news/page-one/2022/04/public-health-workers-focus-on-community-wellness/
BBC Future. (2022). How Liberia’s frontline health workers are protecting us all. Retrieved from
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220406-how-liberias-frontline-health-workers-stop-next-pandemic
Choudhary, S. (2021). Community Health and Its Importance. Primary Health Care: Open Access, 11(02), 1-2.
Kumar, M., Taegtmeyer, M., Madan, J., Ndima, S., Chikaphupha, K., Kea, A., & Barasa, E. (2020). How do decision-makers use evidence in community health policy and financing decisions? A qualitative study and conceptual framework in four African countries. Health Policy and Planning, 35(07), 799-809.
Pinger, R., & Seabert, D. (2016). An introduction to community & public health.
Rana, R. (2022). Inclusive Healthcare! Kerala’s District Hospitals Become Transgender-Friendly. Retrieved from
https://thelogicalindian.com/lgbtq/kerala-healthcare-lgbtq-34353
ReliefWeb. (2021). Rich countries have received more vaccines in run-up to Christmas than African countries have all year. Retrieved from https://reliefweb.int/report/world/rich-countries-have-received-more-vaccines-run-christmas-african-countries-have-all
Stepanikova, I., & Oates, G. (2017). Perceived discrimination and privilege in health care: the role of socioeconomic status and race. American journal of preventive medicine, 52(01), S86-S94.
Wangkiat, P. (2021). Poor left out while rich get priority. Retrieved from
https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/2105399/poor-left-out-while-rich-get-priority
World Health Organisation. (2017). Human rights and health. Retrieved from World Health Organisation: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/human-rights-and-health
World Health Organisation. (2022). Innovate to eliminate: community-focused malaria interventions in Cambodia and Lao People’s Democratic Republic. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/innovate-to-eliminate-community-focused-malaria-interventions-in-cambodia-and-lao-people-s-democratic-republic
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