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Regardless of the remarkable achievements in technology, thousands of children will die today from preventable diseases. Infectious diseases such as malaria, chagas, AIDS, tuberculosis or infectious diarrhea destroy millions of families in developing countries. Noncommunicable diseases including obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer or major depressive syndrome hit both the North and the South Hemispheres, although with much higher prevalence and incidence among the underprivileged sectors. Equally important are the alarming levels of child labor, human trafficking and sex slavery, family violence, child abuse or drug addiction. Complex, multi-etiological and anthropological issues also exist that desperately need to be addressed.
We need a change of paradigm: We need to move away from the reactive Model of Disease, to the proactive Model of Health. Many countries lack good public health, sometimes because they put the focus on the private sector; sometimes because they give too much emphasis to technology. The most sophisticated technology will never beat good Primary Health Care policies. Education, good nutrition, family affection, physical exercise, and sanitary housing conditions are the best and most sustainable public policies one can make. The concept of Integrative Medicine is always present in GNU Health
HIFA profile: David Cawthorpe is Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Calgary, Canada. His professional interests include: Human Development, Developmental Psychopathology, and Delivery of low bandwidth medical education curriculum. cawthord AT ucalgary.ca