health care

health care

Health care is the maintenance or improvement of health through the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and improvement or treatment of diseases, conditions, injuries, and other physical and mental disabilities in people. Health care is provided by health professionals and allied health workers. Medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, midwifery, nursing, optometry, audiology, psychology, occupational therapy, physical therapy, athletic training, and other health professions are part of health care. It includes work in primary care, secondary and tertiary care, and public health.

Access to health care can vary across countries, communities, and individuals, and is influenced by social and economic conditions and health care policies. Providing health services means “the timely use of personal health services to achieve the best possible health outcomes”. ability to take paid time off to access such services) and personal limitations (lack of ability to communicate with health care providers, lower health literacy, lower income). Effectiveness of treatments and overall outcome (well-being, mortality rates).

Health systems are organizations established to meet the health needs of certain groups of the population. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a well-functioning healthcare system requires a financing mechanism, a well-trained and adequately paid workforce, reliable information on which decisions and policies can be made, and well-maintained healthcare facilities to deliver high-quality medicines and technology.

An effective healthcare system can contribute to a large part of a nation's economy, development, and industrialization. Health care has traditionally been viewed as an important factor in promoting the overall physical and mental health and well-being of people around the world. An example is the global eradication of smallpox in 1980, which was declared by the World Health Organization as the first disease in human history to be eradicated through deliberate public health interventions.