Public health and environment in Pakistan.

Byline: Rohma Zafar

Health is a state of complete well-being that directs towards maximizing an individual adaptive potential which if broadened to concept of public health concentrates on promoting and preserving health mean while reducing the burden of diseases. Health of an individual is central to the quality of life and human, being a part of environment is under peak influence and it therefore directly or indirectly determines the health status.

Pakistan; a developing country is facing numerous environmental issues particularly the air and water pollution and if considered in context of this scenario so the status of public health is pretty poor and tangled in air and water related diseases as a consequence of which numerous lives are lost and many disturbed. Therefore, efforts are required to be done in all environmental aspects to tackle the existing situation and improve the life quality.

The illusion of health was defined by WHO in the most transparent means in 1948 as a state of complete physical, social and mental fitness and not merely the absence of disease. Even though the definition lacks the operational value but the fundamental concept of health portrayed was not just the truancy of any infirmity but actually the unity and harmonized interaction of soul and body with the ability of adaptation, self-management, recovery and reverse bouncing from disease, illness or related troublesome situation causing impairment or malfunctioning of some vital bodily functions.

It relates to the quality of life spent and hence provides a foundation for sound wellbeing and existence. Further widening the concept to public health so it centers around the art, tact or science of protecting, improving and safeguarding the health of communities or simply of the general public which can only be practically possible via awareness, education, policy framing and research efforts with underlying agenda of prevention of diseases and injuries meanwhile assuring the creation of such conditions that promises the promotion of healthy life style and status.

Along with numerous factors like locality, genetics, level of income, education, etc environment is a vital factor influencing the health of the public. Individual being a part of the environment which is a complex formed by interaction of all the surrounding conditions and circumstances or more precisely defined as a product of association and linking of physical, economic, ecological and social...