What is Public Health? How is it important to you and me?

Have you ever wondered what the massive program behind the family health clinic in your village, the Public Health Inspector (PHI) who comes to our homes to check for dengue mosquitoes, or the vaccination programs given to young children across the country is? All of these belong to a very important field. That is 'Public Health'. This is not just a word, this is something that directly affects your life, mine, and all of our lives. Let's talk about this simply.

What is Public Health, simply put?

Simply put, public health is about thinking about the health and well-being of an entire population, or a community, rather than looking at the illness of an individual.

Now you might be thinking, "How is that different from a doctor treating an illness?" Yes, it's completely different. Imagine that you have a fever and you go to see a doctor. The doctor examines you, gives you medicine that is specific to you, and treats your illness. That's what regular healthcare is all about.

But public health is much broader than that. They don't just look at "Why did this person get the flu?" They look at "Why are people in this whole village getting the flu? What can the whole village do to prevent this from spreading?"

Let's take another good example. Imagine, data shows that dengue is spreading more among children in a certain area. Then a doctor treats a child with dengue in the hospital. But public health experts do more than that. They gather PHI gentlemen and community leaders in that area and organize programs to eliminate dengue mosquito breeding places, educate people. They go from house to house and say, "Remove water-filled tires and coconut shells." Have you seen the difference? Not just one child, but the entire community benefits at once. They build roads to prevent the disease before it even occurs.

Who works in this public health field?

There are a lot of people behind this. We've seen some of them, and some of them are doing a lot of work behind the scenes. Let's see who the main characters are.

What are Public Health Issues?

Public health problems are anything that affects our lifespan and quality of life, and can be anything in our environment. These problems don't affect everyone the same way. That's why experts study groups like regions, ages, and races separately. Then they can find out what specific problems they have and what can be done to improve them.

These problems change from time to time. And they also vary from country to country. For example, 50 years ago, malaria was the biggest public health problem in our country. But today it has been controlled. Today, non-communicable diseases like dengue, diabetes, and high blood pressure have become a big challenge for us.

These are some of the major public health issues currently facing a country like Sri Lanka:

• Protecting ourselves from environmental hazards: This includes things like polluted air, lack of clean drinking water, waste management problems, and toxic chemicals in the soil.
• Preventing Accidents and Deaths: This includes everyday things like vehicle accidents on the road, slips and falls inside the home, electrocutions, and drownings.
• Preparedness for pandemics: The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us the value of this. It is very important to be prepared as a country to face any future pandemic.
• Improving access to healthcare for all: In some remote villages, people have to travel kilometers to reach a hospital when they fall ill. Removing such barriers and creating ways to make healthcare accessible to all.
• Helping people access the resources they need for a healthy life: Examples include access to nutritious food and safe places to exercise (like walking trails).
• Promoting mental health: Eliminating misconceptions about mental health issues in society and providing easy access to counseling services for those in need.

How does the public health system in our country work?

This system in our country is very organized. Although we do not have a separate institution called CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) like in the United States, we do have a strong structure that fulfills that role.

1. National level: Health policies, plans, vaccination programs, etc. that are relevant to the entire country are managed by institutions such as the Ministry of Health and the Epidemiology Unit under it.

2. Provincial and District Level: Next, there are Regional Director of Health Services (RDHS) offices to implement these programs at the district level.

3. Regional level (MOH division): This is the unit closest to us. Almost every region has a Medical Officer of Health (MOH) office . This is the headquarters of public health activities in that region.

4. Field level: It is under this MOH office that the PHI gentlemen and family health service officers (midwives) that we all know work. They are like the lifeblood of this huge system. They go to a village house and check on a pregnant mother, a small child, check for dengue mosquitoes, check the cleanliness of a shop, and work to control an infectious disease when it spreads.

This system does not work alone. They work together with all institutions such as schools, temples/churches, community organizations, hospitals, and the police.

You too can contribute to public health!

When you read this, you might think, "This is only for big doctors and officials, what can I do?" Don't think like that. Public health is the responsibility of all of us. Even if you don't have a degree or special training, you can still help make other people's lives healthier.

Think about it...

• How important is it to keep your garden and surroundings clean and free from dengue mosquitoes ? It protects not only your family, but the entire neighborhood.
• If there is an elderly person in your neighborhood who has difficulty getting to and from the doctor, help them get there in your car.
• Start going for a walk every morning with a friend or neighbor who thinks they need to exercise.
• Visiting someone who is alone and giving them some delicious, nutritious food.
• Sharing accurate health information (like this article, for example) with your family and friends.
• Informing the relevant authorities about a public health problem in your area (a garbage problem, accidents caused by a broken road).

Small things like this can make a big difference, because public health is an investment in a healthy future for all of us, all of us, together.

Public Health, Public Health, Community Health, Disease Prevention, PHI, Family Health Service, Health System