George Washington University
Questions
- How would you define health? Is health different from healthcare? What are the objectives of healthcare?
As defined by WHO, health is a state of the complete state of mental, physical, and social well being and not merely the absence of illness, infirmity, or disease. There is a difference between health and healthcare, and the letter implies the improvement and Maintainance of mental and physical health, especially via the provision of quality medical services,
The primary objective of healthcare includes elevation of focus on health prevention and promotion, improving health access, reducing health inequality, and improving the accountability, performance, safety, and quality of health and early intervention and screening.
- What would you say in your country is the bigger problem in terms of disease burden to the country: road traffic accidents or depression? What are your arguments for one or the other?
In Kenya, the bigger problem is road traffic accidents. The mortality and injuries arising from RTA have been rising rapidly in Kenya in the last decade. As Kenya roads have undergone phenomenon transformation during the period and with the rising number of vehicles as the economy improves, the number of road accidents has also risen hence the fast-rising statistics. On the other hand, though the burden of depression has also risen, the rate is lower than that of RTA. In addition, there are much less data in the market about the condition.
- Study the EQ-5D questionnaire (provided) and fill it out(i.e., assess your health-related quality of life today). Discuss your results with the group. Why might your quality of life be different from another person’s quality of life? Might it be different tomorrow?
The results of my EQ-5D questionnaire is 100 percent. This implies that the moment does not have any physical, emotional, mental, or physiological illnesses. However, it’s important to recognize the fact that I have not gone for any medical checkup, and similarly, we come from different socio-economic backgrounds.
- See the BBC life expectancy estimator (http://www.bbc.com/news/health-44107940(Links to an external site.)). Enter your details. What is your estimated date of death? What happens when you change the country to another country? Why does your estimated date of death vary (sometimes substantially) by country?
The BBC estimator is meant to provide a realistic picture of one’s life. According to the Kenyan statistics, an individual in my age group, a man aged 25-29 in your country, will live another 44 years. The estimated age of death varies due to diffidence in living standards in different regions, the quality of the environment, nutrition of the people, and the quality of healthcare services.
References