L1.2: Public Health

• • Public health ensures that Health is Achieved, Actualized, Upheld, and Utilized.
  • Health services are available to the general public and;
  • Services are being reached by the people’s needs.
  • “PUBLIC” can be:
  • A small handful of people OR
  • As large as a village OR;
  • An entire city


  Public Health
• • It is an interdisciplinary field/subfield that covers various concepts. Some examples are:
  • Epidemiology, Health Economics, Biostatistics, Community Health, Management of Health Services, Public Policy, Health Education, and so on.

  Public Health
• The science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting physical and mental health and efficiency through organized community efforts which will ensure to every individual in the community a standard of living adequate for the maintenance of health.


  Public Health by Winslow (1920)
• The following are the actions important for public health:

  1. Sanitation of the environment
  2. Control of community infections
  3. Education of the individual in principles of personal hygiene
  4. Organization of medical and nursing services for the early diagnosis and preventive treatment of disease; and
  5. Development of the social machinery – The Health Care Workers.


  Public Health by Winslow (1920)
• • He founded the school of medicine department that became the Yale school of public health.
  • In 1920, he defined public health as: “The science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting physical and mental health and efficiency through organized community efforts...”

  Dr. Charles Edward Amory Winslow
• The 3 P’s of Public Health

  ● Promote health

  ● Prevent disease

  ● Prolong life
• • From Charles Winslow’s definition of public health
  • [1] Sanitation of the environment
  • [2] Control of communicable diseases
  • [3] Education of individuals on personal hygiene
  • [4] Organization of medical and nursing services (For the early diagnosis and preventive treatments of disease)
  • [5] Development of social machinery


  Organized Community Efforts and informed Choices
• • In continuation of Charles Manslow’s definition, these must be done to:
  • Ensure that every individual in the community a standard of living adequate for the maintenance of health and;
  • Enable every citizen his birthright of health and longevity.


  Organized Community Efforts and informed Choices
• • The art of applying science in the context of politics so as to reduce inequalities in health while ensuring the best health for the greatest number.
  • Promotes equality and just opportunities
  • Anchored in RA 7160.
  • Under this, evidence-based scientific, technological, and management systems are applied to public measures implemented for the health of the individual and the community.

  Modern Public Health
• • Through a system of decentralization, the law transferred power and authority to Local Government Units to:
  • Promote the general welfare, health and safety of its people (within its territorial jurisdiction)
  • Promote national health programs
  • As LGU’s are given the responsibility to deliver basic health services, the law aims to:
  • Enhance health service delivery at the grassroots level
  • Improve resource allocation
  • Broaden decision making through active participation of local stakeholders


  Republic Act (R.A.) 7160 Local Government Code of 1991