|
Health care:
Health or
health care is the diagnosis,treatment and prevention of
disease,illness,injury,and other physical and mental impairments in
humans.Health care is delivered by practitioners in
medicine,dentistry,nursing,pharmacy and allied health.The exact
configuration of health care systems varies from country to country,but
in all cases requires a robust financing mechanism;a well-trained and
adequately paid workforce;reliable information on which to base
decisions and policies;and well maintained facilities and logistics to
deliver quality medicines and technologies.

Health care
industry:
The delivery of modern health care
depends on an expanding group of trained professionals coming together
as an interdisciplinary team.The health-care industry incorporates
several sectors that are dedicated to providing health
care services and products. According to industry and market
classifications,such as the Global Industry
Classification Standard and the Industry Classification Benchmark,the
health-care industry includes health care equipment and services as well
as pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and life sciences.The particular
sectors associated with these groups are:biotechnology,diagnostic
substances,drug delivery,drug manufacturers, hospitals,medical equipment
and instruments,diagnostic laboratories,nursing homes,providers of
health care plans and home health care.According to government industry
classifications,which are mostly based on the United Nations system,the
International Standard Industrial Classification, health care generally
consists of hospital activities,medical and dental practice
activities,and other human health activities.The last class consists of
all activities for human health not performed by hospitals,physicians or
dentists.This involves activities of,or under the supervision
of,nurses,midwives, physiotherapists, scientific or diagnostic
laboratories,pathology clinics,home,or other para-medical practitioners
in the field of optometry,hydrotherapy,medical massage,yoga
therapy,music therapy,occupational therapy,speech
therapy,chiropody,homeopathy,chiropractics,acupuncture,etc.
Philosophy of healthcare:
The
philosophy of healthcare attempts to synthesize the general meaning of
the healthcare industry as a social institution.Through the study of
people,processes,politics,and ethics in the healthcare industry,a
workable philosophy of healthcare develops.And as a social
philosophy,healthcare represents the primary means by which people
improve the overall quality of their daily lives. The ultimate purpose
of healthcare philosophy is to provide an analytic framework for the
collection and analysis of all pertinent data in the healthcare
industry,especially for fields like biotechnology,medicine,and nursing.
Global health:
The World
Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized United Nations agency which
acts as a coordinator and researcher for public health around the world.
Established on 7 April 1948,and headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland,the
agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor,the Health
Organization,which had been an agency of the League of Nations.The WHO's
constitution states that its mission "is the attainment by all peoples
of the highest possible level of health." Its major task is to combat
disease, especially key infectious diseases, and to promote the general
health of the peoples of the world.Examples of its work include years of
fighting smallpox, which the organization declared in 1979 had been
eradicated - the first disease in history to be completely eliminated by
deliberate human design. The WHO is nearing success through research
activities in developing vaccines against malaria and
schistosomiasis.The WHO is financed by contributions from member states
and from donors.In recent years the WHO's work has involved more
collaboration, currently around 80 such partnerships,with NGOs and the
pharmaceutical industry,as well as with foundations such as the Bill and
Melinda Gates Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation.Research
programmes implemented or supported by the WHO include strengthening
health systems research,improving access to health research and
literature in developing countries,as well as research on neglected
tropical diseases,women's reproductive health and other priority areas. |