First, A Culture of Health - Amlesh Ranjan

Yes, we need a hugely improved healthcare infrastructure, we need many more healthcare professionals, we need health solutions for our un-met medical needs, and the pandemic has established that beyond doubt, but what we need First, is A Culture of Health. Read on to see, what I mean.

We recently observed, ‘Self Care Month & Day’ to bring more attention to health. WHO mentions, “Self-care recognizes individuals as active agents in managing their own health…”* and rightly so but I believe A Culture of Health is sure needed at individual level but it is also needed at family, community, society, corporate and national levels, sharing the same.?

A Culture of Health at Individual level means that we are– being responsible for our own health; observing cleanliness; balancing our life; adopting mental wellness practices; eating healthy foods; doing physical exercises; undergoing regular check-ups; consulting a doctor; managing the disease condition.

A Culture of Health at Family level means that we are co-inculcating healthy habits and practices in our everyday life.

A culture of Health at Community level means that the influencers propagate the importance of health and how it impacts each other.?????

A Culture of Health at Society level means that we make health a collective social responsibility to support each other in being and staying healthy.

A Culture of Health at Corporate level means that we make health an integral part of being and doing, enhancing employee wellness benefits even further.

A Culture of Health at National level means that the government accords it top priority in policy making & budgeting while continuously driving civic sense.

This means, we need to keep striving together towards Total Health where all aspects of health – Physical, Mental, Social, Emotional, and even Spiritual is taken care of for every citizen of our World by A Culture of Health at individual, family, community, social, corporate and government level.

The aspects and Importance of Health has been well enumerated way back in 1948 in the ‘Preamble’ of WHO’s constitution. The image of the same is shared below.** You will find it’s reflection in all that I have written above. Quoting from the same – “Health is?a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being?and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”.

WHO has also fore-warned us about healthcare catastrophe, which I shared in one of my articles*** 10 months before the pandemic – “The threat ahead is so big that if it is not taken care of, it can wipe out substantial part of our progresses and gains on all other fronts. The task ahead is so enormous that the international agencies and the governments cannot handle on their own and hence, the onus is on all stakeholders in the system.”

Yes, in an unfortunate way, but the pandemic has proven the above true. Onus is on us as Citizens, Leaders, Influencers that we take collective responsibility towards better healthcare infrastructure, resources & solutions, but .....

Let Us, on Priority Build First, A Culture of Health; We Owe it to Ourselves.?????

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Simultaneously published on Medium - https://amleshranjan.medium.com/first-a-culture-of-health-amlesh-ranjan-2a6d664ae73f

Disclaimer: Views expressed are personal.

Reference: *https://www.who.int/news-room/events/detail/2021/06/23/default-calendar/self-care-month **https://www.who.int/bulletin/archives/80(12)981.pdf https://amleshranjan.medium.com/healthcare-is-first-a-responsibility-we-look-for-a-sense-of-purpose-and-meaning-in-all-that-we-befd4c7de853