HOW PUBLIC HEALTH IS MORE IMPORTANT FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
Developing countries often classified as nations with a lower value of Gross Domestic Product and the Human Development Index. These are the countries that are struggling to become more advanced, socially, and economically. Developing countries tackle a variety of issues, and public health is one of them. Since these nations are usually weak and agriculturally based, they struggle with managing their standard of living and human welfare.
All countries devise different policies on how to handle their matters. These policies further administer the wealth allocated to various sectors of the country’s management. Some states focus on education, some on investing in small businesses, some emphasize public health, etc. It all depends on what the government bodies deem to be more important and worthy of attention.
Public health is the overall science behind refining quality of life, avoiding disease, and lengthening lifespans. Countries introduce differing public health policies to ensure that the general standard of living has improved in society. But is public health more important for developing as opposed to developed countries?
This statement stands right, and in the article ahead, we have highlighted a few reasons why.
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Fewer Resources Used In Prevention Than Cure
Since developing countries have lesser resources, efficient management is the key to utilizing funds aptly. More secondary resources will require ensuring that essential health standards have met before neglect turns them into more significant problems. Analyzing the public basic health requirements and making them available will ensure that illnesses and diseases do not spread further, posing an enormous dilemma for an already struggling country. That is why it is crucial to nip health evils in the bud by eradicating minor health issues on time.
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Lack of Basic Hygiene Awareness
Developing countries are often weak, which means the literacy rates are also low. Education is looked upon as a luxury since the majority of people have meager incomes to survive.
As a result, the more significant part of the population is not well-acquainted, or even if they are, lack the means to maintain basic hygiene levels. That is the reason why public health becomes all the more critical for developing countries. Developing countries need to invest more in creating awareness in the masses regarding how to achieve basic sanitation levels, personally and around the house.
For example, in the current scenario, it has become extremely crucial to reach out to the low-income groups and explain to them the criticality of tracking covid19 and related symptoms. Often, this is the stratum of the society that does not take mild flu and cough symptoms very seriously. They might never consider going for a check-up with these negligible health issues compared to a person who can afford a visit to the doctor quickly. It is also crucial to avoid an excessive load on public hospitals since better hygiene means fewer people are falling sick in the future.
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Higher Productivity
Developing countries need to make the most out of a given set of resources. Higher productivity levels are crucial for such nations. Since GDPs are low, hand-in-hand with some proper strategic management, workforce productivity is also essential. Consequentially, the health of the general workforce is a critical factor for developing countries. When people often fall sick, the working individual or their family members often have a direct impact on worker productivity levels. Productivity levels may take a blow in the form of higher absenteeism. Additionally, loss of workplace motivation may also be a consequence. Therefore, to maintain adequate levels of productivity, developing nations need to invest in public health.
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Overall Well-Being of the Population
Developing countries are struggling nations looking forward to a brighter future and aim to have better living standards. Public health plays a vital role in the achievement of this objective. The overall happiness of the population can directly link to the healthiness of the masses. Healthy people tend to give the best efforts at the roles they play in life. Good health also becomes a source of contentment since healthy people can function at their full potential.
Physical health can also link to mental and emotional well-being. A person who is physically weak and keeps falling sick may also suffer from psychological trauma. Being the bread earner but losing your job only because of a temporary sickness can become extremely stressful. Since developing countries have weak welfare facilities, such people often have nowhere to a lean-to in case of unemployment. Because of the extreme pressure of not being able to feed the family, often such people go through severe mental stress.
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Hinders Education
Several factors work together to achieve a better life. Often these factors are closely related to each other. It is a proven theory that providing better education can help alleviate many issues of a developing nation in the longer run. Health and learning go hand in hand. Dropouts from schools because of constant sickness is a reason behind the lower literacy rate. That, in turn, affects the health of country expenses in the long run since proper education grooms the individuals in terms of their health, hygiene, and how to maintain it.
Conclusion
Developing countries are struggling nations with a hoard of issues to address and counter vigorously to be able to achieve their status of being a developed nation. All policies need to wove neatly together, keeping in mind how one affects the other. These policies include the educational sector, health sector, investments, micro, and macroeconomic policies, etc. The health sector caters to one of the most prominent public needs, which is why it is of utmost importance for a developing nation.
