Hari Prasad Kafle, MPH

Pokhara University
Public Health
The “Big Picture”
What is Public Health?

The sum of all official

or governmental efforts
to promote, protect, and
preserve the people’s
health.
Public Health
“The science and art of preventing disease, prolonging
life and promoting health and efficiency through
organized community effort.”
-CEA Winslow, 1920

“The process of mobilizing and engaging local, state,

national, and international resources to assure the
conditions in which people can be healthy”
-The Oxford Textbook of Public Health
 Public Health
“The science and practice of protecting and
improving the health of the community, as by
preventive medicine, health education, control of
communicable diseases, application of sanitary
measures, and monitoring of environmental
hazards.” -The American Heritage Dictionary of Public Health
 Public Health
“Public health is what we, as a society, do
collectively to assure the conditions in which
people can be healthy.”
-Source: Institute of Medicine Report (IOM). THE FUTURE OF PUBLIC
HEALTH. Washington DC: National Academy Press. 1988 .

Public health is a science and art of saving the

lives of millions at once by single decision or
intervention.
Public Health is many things
A System

A Profession

A Method

Government Service

The Health of the Public

Public Health Approach
Public Health Medical
Versus
Model Model


Public Health Approach
Public Health Model Medical Model
 Population  Individual
 Disease Prevention  Diagnosis
 Health Promotion
 Treatment
 Interventions
 Intervention
 Environment
 Human behavior
 Medical care
 Public (Some private)  Private (Some public)
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Core Functions of Public Health
Core Activities of Public Health
1. Prevents epidemics and the spread of disease

2. Protects against environmental hazards

3. Responds to disasters and assists communities

in recovery
4. Prevents injuries
5. Promotes healthy behaviors
6. Assures the quality, accessibility and
accountability of health services
Core Activities of Public Health
7. Monitoring the health status of the population

8. Mobilizing community action

9. Reaching out to link high-risk and hard-to-reach

people to needed services

10. Researching to develop new insights and

innovative solutions

11. Leading the development of sound health policy

and planning
Ten Great Public Health Achievements

Vaccination Safer and healthier

Motor-vehicle safety foods
Safer workplaces Healthier mothers and
Control of infectious babies
diseases Family planning
Decline in deaths from Fluoridation of drinking
coronary heart disease water
and stroke Recognition of tobacco
use as a health hazard
CDC, 1999
Public Health Problems and Diseases
Communicable diseases
Measles
Non communicable diseases
Influenza
Environmental pollution
Poliomyelitis
Maternal child health
Tuberculosis
problems
Cholera
Malnutrition and
Dengue
micronutrient deficiency
Municipal and hospital Malaria
waste HIV/AIDS
Geriatric health problems Obesity
Population problems Cancer
Diabetes
Public Health Organizations
Non Governmental
National • United Nation
 NFHP
• WHO
 FPAN
• WFP
 Nepal Red Cross
• FAO
 PLAN Nepal
International
• UNICEF
 CARE • UNDP
 United Mission to Nepal
 Save the Children
 Marie Stopes International
 Family Health International
 Public Health Organizations
Governmental
 District health office
 Public health office
 Regional health directorate
 Regional training center
 Department of health services
 Ministry of health and
population
 Primary health care institutions
Others
 Academic institutions
 Research organizations
 Community development
organizations
 Quality control offices
 Health training centers
 Local development offices
A Sampling of Public Health Professions
 Population, Family Planning &  Gerontological health
Reproductive Health  HIV/AIDS
 Maternal Child health  Injury control and emergency
 Public Health Education and Health health Services
Promotion  International Health
 Community health planning and  Mental Health
policy development
 Oral Health
 Public health administration
 Epidemiology and disease control  Public Health Nursing
 Alcohol, tobacco and other drugs  School Health Education and
 Environmental & occupational health Services
and safety  Women’s health and gender
 Food and nutrition development
“Healthy People in Healthy Community.”

Thank You!