Public health care access and affordability is a civic right that every citizen is owed to enjoy unconditionally. However often social, economic, political and environmental barriers deter individuals from exercising this right.
One billion people world over survive on less than $1.25 a day, making them unable to afford their health care needs and eventually jeopardizing their life expectancy. The marginal propensity of such families to lead healthier lives diminishes due to the failure of bridging today’s inflationary gaps wrecking economies.
Poverty has a permeated impact on the health of populations especially women, the elderly and children who are more vulnerable. Poor children are more susceptible to illness, due to the lack of resources for basic needs and displeasing feeding formulae leading to higher mortality rates than their non-poor counterparts.
More studies have revealed and added to the literature that, illiteracy coupled with ignorance is a backbone to massive populations leaving desperate and unhealthy lives. Over 1.113 billion people (15.9 percent) across the globe cannot read nor write, putting their safety in total peril, for they can hardly proactively participate in assessing their health and that of their immediate families. These individuals’ comprehension levels are belittled by their carelessness and their not taking health emergencies seriously. They do not follow up with public engagement campaigns and strategies because they are unable to fully understand awareness communications and discussions. They cannot attach meaning to what they see advertised or hear broadcasted over the media worsening their inferiority complex to disease control and treatment.
We cannot discuss public health promotion strategies and sweep under the carpet the political will and buy in. Today, it is evident that more politically stable states have experienced unprecedented quality health care services evidenced by their higher life expectancy figures and general population welfare. Nations characterized by wars, conflicts, strikes and political power struggles have had even the few health structures and institutions wrecked, massive killing of civilians, fleeing of natives due to instabilities, the leaving behind of many orphans and broken families in insatiable misery.
Public health practitioners and policy makers have often times disregarded the environment and its impact on public health. Many health calamities range from man and his relationship with the environment. As an example, tropical diseases are often a result of unfortunate association with the environment. Pollution through emission of dangerous gases and substances into space, water and land have expedited global warming resulting in a blocked Ozone layer leading to acidic rains that have endangered “kingdom Animalia,” man inclusive. Deforestation has promoted desertification in a number of countries culminating into drought, famine and many starved to death. Human encroachments on natural resources characterized by cultivation of mountains and hills have claimed the lives of millions globally through landslides due to destruction of vegetation cover binding the soil texture.
It is desirable to exhaust measures in promoting global health care services, if safety of beneficiaries is to be guaranteed.