Vinod Chandrashekhar Dixit
World Health Day is a global health awareness day celebrated every year on 7 April, under the auspices of the World Health Organization. Over the past 50 years this has brought to light important health issues such as mental health, maternal and child care, and climate change. Health is a state of complete physical, social and mental well being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
Health is defined as the state of body physically and mentally sound. Health is the prime source of happiness and comfort. Health is thus a level of functional efficiency of living beings and a general condition of a person’s mind, body and spirit, meaning it is free from illness, injury and pain. It is a resource of everyday life and a positive concept emphasizing physical capabilities.
Health was earlier said to be the ability of the body functioning well. However, as time evolved, the definition of health also evolved. It cannot be stressed enough that health is the primary thing after which everything else follows. When you maintain good health, everything else falls into place. Health is necessary for the realization of basic human needs and to attain the status of better quality of life. Health is a major determinant of human capital. If the quality of human capital is not maintained, physical capital and natural resources cannot be properly utilized and growth could neither be sustained nor be qualitative.
Globally, women comprise 70 percent of the health and social workforce. Nurses and midwives represent a large part of this. This time, WHO honoured the health workers who played a key role in responding to the Covid-19 pandemic. COVID-19 has hit all countries hard, but its impact has been harshest on those communities which were already vulnerable, who are more exposed to the disease, less likely to have access to quality health care services and more likely to experience adverse consequences as a result of measures implemented to contain the pandemic. There is an old saying, ‘Health is Wealth’. Staying healthy for children is vital for proper growth and development of mind and body as they need to focus in the class and fully participate in the activities on the field.
Someone has said that there are four layers of energies which gives us good health, they are physical energy, mental energy, emotional energy and spiritual energy. We need to have a balanced diet and go for long, brisk walks. Our motto should be to keep our body clean in order to remain healthy. We must laugh more as laughing is a therapy and a secret of good health. The government should include integrated health programs into their public policies and control specific health problems. One can work effectively when he enjoys good health. An unhealthy person can’t enjoy life, can’t go out and can’t embrace the beauty of nature fully. Those who are healthy can work better and can excel in life. One who doesn’t have good health, he owns nothing. The first and essential condition of good health is regular exercise at stated times. It should be moderate and given up as soon as one feels a sense of tiredness. Excess is to be avoided and is bound to do harm.
In this modern period people have become more mechanized and are dependent on machines, they have become inactive and lazy. Physical activity is very for good health. Many diseases are caused by environmental pollution therefore it is necessary to keep environment clean and hygiene before maintaining good health. A sound mind lives in a sound body. Health is essential for all our activities of life whatever we may be – a doctor, a leader, an artist, we must possess health by all means. Early rising is the first law of health, “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise”.
(The author is a freelancer and can be reached at [email protected])
