By: Dan Phale*
It is not a secret notion that for every seed to germinate it has to be viable; and such is also the naked truth with human growth and development. For all human beings to excel in whatever they do a viability of some sort is needed. In fact of all the resources required in order to pursue in something life is the foremost. In other words life is a capital.
Only healthy people are capable of performing their daily duties. Hence it is of paramount significance that we all have to look after ourselves so that we become healthy beings… And how do we succeed in this?
But we can not talk about healthy living without looking at diseases and issues that are the relevant factors.
I have a good friend who works in the health sector. He once told me that the social determinants of health are the social conditions in which people live that determine their health. He further said that illnesses are generally related to social, economic, political, and environmental circumstances.
From the preceding, it is crystal clear that in a society whose people are severely stricken with poverty it is an uphill for them to meet the cost of treatment in health facilities. Similarly, a territory with serious political and governance challenges is very likely to fail to draft policies that are to be regarded as disease controlling measures. Again, culturally and socially some people have a strong belief in issues that are mere myths such that they poorly understand causes of some diseases. And surely when the causes of a disease are poorly understood members of societies tend to mythologize the disease and consider it as bad omen of whatever their culture deems evil.
Our old folks say that prevention is better than cure. And by being preventive we are able to guard ourselves from catching certain diseases. In the same way we don’t incur costs which would otherwise have been there if we were to seek medical attention in health facilities. Here we have to consider a variety of means which include restraint from risky behaviours, hygiene and sanitation, proper nutrition, public health services, regular and adequate physical exercises, vaccination.
Well, each of us has a duty to ensure that we have healthy life. This way only we will be able to embark on our daily activities that are aimed at sustaining our livelihood… Moyo ndi mpamba.
OUR LIFE ISSUES 