Social Responsibility Of Public Health

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there is a wide-range of determinants that collectively impacts the health of people from diverse cultures around the world. As a result, experts from diverse fields of study determine the health of people through the use of descriptive and analytical studies based on these determinants. Therefore, we must avoid judgement or inserting blame upon people like Sara through no fault of their own experience a variety of medical issues due to a lack of quality health care. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) and WHO frown upon societal norms which blames disadvantaged people for their poor health and praise advantaged people for their good health. Regrettably, for people like Sara, who lives below

According to a New York Times article, “India’s Public Health Crisis”, highlights the fact that India contributes less than one percent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to the country’s public health care system, despite the fact it has one of the world’s fastest growing economy. Unfortunately, what does this mean for Sara’s whose income and social status play a major role in her declining health.

Sara’s income and social status are the first two determinants that play a primary role in her declining health. Unfortunately, in our society, the high income, social elites are the only ones who have the resources available to attain high quality health care; therefore, having the ability to travel to other countries if necessary. According to a study conducted by WHO Experts titled, “Measuring Overall Health System Performance for 191 Countries”, the United States of America ranked #37, while India ranked #112, France ranked #1 and in the last position at #191, West Africa’s Sierra Leone. Nevertheless,

According to the Huffington Post, as a developed nation, India physical environment is gravely insufficient and lags behind other developed nations in the area of public health. In the aforementioned WHO Study, safe water, clean air, safe workplaces, safe communities, good nutrition, physical activity and most importantly preventive health care equates to good health. In a New York Times article, “India is Caught in a Climate Change Quandary”, the article conveys that there are 1.3 billion Indians that live in India, which over 304 million do not have access to electricity and 92 million do not have access to clean drinking water, resulting in poor nutritional habits creating new health issues while exacerbating old health ones. The environmental problems that poverty stricken Indians are experiencing is severe and the political system prior to 2013 did absolutely nothing to elevate the pain. According to WHO, the rapidly growing industry boom in India has further increased the health risk of poverty stricken Indians. Unfortunately, due to high corruption within India’s political system and the lack of regulation, devastation to approximately 65% of the country’s land is the price that Indian people pay annually in