Department of Health and Social Care

Advanced industrial countries and many developing countries provide medical services through a system of universal health care that aims to guarantee care for all through a single-payer health care system, or compulsory private or co-operative health insurance. This is intended to ensure that the entire population has access to medical care on the basis of need rather than ability to pay. Delivery may be via private medical practices or by state-owned hospitals and clinics, or by charities, most commonly by a combination of all three.

  • Care is provided through an integrated network of six primary care polyclinics, acute care and tertiary hospitals, national specialty centres and business divisions.
  • Strengthens the health workforce and connects skilled providers to communities in need.
  • 3.8Achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all.

These include personal actions for preventing or minimizing the effects of a disease, usually a chronic condition, through integrative care. They also include personal hygiene practices to prevent infection and illness, such as bathing and washing hands with soap; brushing and flossing teeth; storing, preparing and handling food safely; and many others. Secondary care medical services are provided by medical specialists in their offices or clinics or at local community hospitals for a patient referred by a primary care provider who first diagnosed or treated the patient. Referrals are made for those patients who required the expertise or procedures performed by specialists. These include both ambulatory care and inpatient services, Emergency departments, intensive care medicine, surgery services, physical therapy, labor and delivery, endoscopy units, diagnostic laboratory and medical imaging services, hospice centers, etc.

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In addition, sleep deprivation has been shown to correlate with both increased susceptibility to illness and slower recovery times from illness. In one study, people with chronic insufficient sleep, set as six hours of sleep a night or less, were found to be four times more likely to catch a cold compared to those who reported sleeping for seven hours or more a night. Due to the role of sleep in regulating metabolism, insufficient sleep may also play a role in weight gain or, conversely, in impeding weight loss. The focus of public health interventions is to prevent and manage diseases, injuries and other health conditions through surveillance of cases and the promotion of healthy behavior, communities, and environments.

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They aim to protect the public through licensure and regulation of nursing/midwifery education and practice. Their mission is to uphold professional nursing standards and honour the public trust. Safe Management Measures View the full list of community measures, effective 26 April 2022.

Over 40 per cent of all countries have fewer than 10 medical doctors per 10,000 people; over 55 per cent of countries have fewer than 40 nursing and midwifery personnel per 10,000 people. 15 times more likely to die before the age of 5 than children in high income countries. An estimated 6.2 million children and adolescents under the age of 15 years died, mostly from preventable causes. Of these deaths, 5.3 million occurred in the first 5 years, with almost half of these in the first month of life.

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3.6By 2020, halve the number of global deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents. 3.5Strengthen the prevention and treatment of substance abuse, including narcotic drug abuse and harmful use of alcohol. 3.3By 2030, end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical diseases and combat hepatitis, water-borne diseases and other communicable diseases. AIDS is now the leading cause of death among adolescents (aged 10–19) in Africa and the second most common cause of death among adolescents globally. 32.7 million people have died from AIDS-related illnesses since the start of the epidemic.

President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition Learn how the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition works to motivate people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities to lead active, healthy lives. Healthy People Learn about Healthy People, the initiative that sets national objectives to help improve health and well-being for all people. Healthy Aging Read about our focus on supporting efforts to help people stay healthy and independent as they age. Legislation Acts regulating drugs, healthcare professionals, medical practices, research and more. Resources & Statistics Search for publications, education brochures, statistics on admission rates, waiting times, bed occupancy rates, diseases and more. Healthcare Schemes & Subsidies Healthcare Schemes & Subsidies View all healthcare financing schemes & subsidies available in Singapore such as MediShield Life, CareShield Life, MediSave, CHAS and ElderShield.

There are also genetic disorders that are inherited by the person and can vary in how much they affect the person . In the first decade of the 21st century, the conceptualization of health as an ability opened the door for self-assessments to become the main indicators to judge the performance of efforts aimed at improving human health. It also created the opportunity for every person to feel healthy, even in the presence of multiple chronic diseases or a terminal condition, and for the re-examination of determinants of health .

In each decade, a new version of Healthy People is issued, featuring updated goals and identifying topic areas and quantifiable objectives for health improvement during the succeeding ten years, with assessment at that point of progress or lack thereof. Progress has been limited to many objectives, leading to concerns about the effectiveness of Healthy People in shaping outcomes in the context of a decentralized and uncoordinated US health system. Healthy People 2020 gives more prominence to health promotion and preventive approaches and adds a substantive focus on the importance of addressing social determinants of health. A new expanded digital interface facilitates use and dissemination rather than bulky printed books as produced in the past. The impact of these changes to Healthy People will be determined in the coming years.