Prevention better than cure

Looking at the statistics that come from the health sector we find that many succumb to diseases that could be controlled or prevented. For example, diabetes has become one of the leading killer diseases. In actual fact, it could be prevented through healthy lifestyles and proper diet. The situation is getting worse and it could very well become the Number One killer disease. It is no secret the sedentary lifestyles and the junk food consumed by persons with busy work schedules or those who have fallen gullible victims of TV commercials are among the causes for the huge increase of diabetes patients in our society.

Coronary heart diseases too are on the increase. Then there are also diseases caused by excessive drinking and smoking and the use of various dangerous drugs. Treating such diseases takes long time and is often a costly affair. Much money spent by the state could be saved if we could reduce the incidence of such diseases. Hence, the importance of preventive medicine and community medicine cannot be exaggerated.

It is necessary to change our strategy to give priority to preventive medicine while developing and improving curative procedures and practices. Health education of the public should not be confined to informing them about infections and outbreaks of infectious diseases. The importance of a healthy lifestyle and the necessity of having balanced diets too should be stressed. It is necessary to target select audience groups like students, public servants and working population at work places to send a strong message about the need and benefits of such a healthy lifestyle.

More funds should be allocated and school curricula exchanged to give emphasis to physical education and sports activities. All media should be harnessed for this purpose. Media could play a very positive role in any public awareness program.

What is also necessary is a changed mindset among the health professionals and authorities. There is a growing and excessive tendency to sit on one’s laurels or to blow one’s own trumpet while discarding all criticism as destructive and conspiratorial. We could cite the example of the bureaucratic lethargy shown in the case of the first Rubella death last March in Matara. Having found out that it was a case of negligence the authorities waited six or seven months for another death to happen to issue a charge sheet to the miscreant.

It also took more than seven months to take action against the errant drug companies. If the Ministry took the same enthusiasm that they display in blowing its own trumpet on that issue and acted in time the subsequent unfortunate incidents may not have happened.

Take the case of Dengue prevention. The authorities waited for some time to act. By then the disease has almost peaked. However, with the decline of the numbers affected now there is complacency and lethargy. Are we waiting for the next Dengue epidemic? What has happened to the report of the Cuban experts and the report on that report by local experts? Are we getting down Cuban BTI or are we abandoning the idea? What is the position of the local BTI? It was loudly announced that we would use the local BTI only to find that it is yet to be perfected before usage. What steps are being taken to assist the production of local BTI? These are questions among many that could be raised but for the moment they would suffice.

Festival of jokers

Revolutions are said to be festivals of the oppressed. Then what are elections? Festivals of the common man or festivals of jokers? To the common man elections are solemn occasions at which he performs his civic duty. To the serious politician it is a chance to serve the people. To some other aspirants to public office it is like buying a lottery.

If he wins, he alone will win and the voter will lose. He considers it a chance to earn for seven generations. To some others - ‘political turncoats’ it is time to jump to and fro and raise the stakes higher than their two-cents worth.

But for those stuntmen in politics it is a chance to “show their colours”, meet unimaginable audiences and perhaps, bask in publicity glory. Now that elections are round the corner we would be able to see a festival of these jokers too.