You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Some people think it is more important to spend public money on promoting a healthy lifestyle in order to prevent illness than to spend it on the treatment for people who are already ill. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
Sample Answer 1:
Health funds are always included in every country’s national budget since the early stages of the world. Every year the government has allocated a lot of money for the prevention and cure of the public most common diseases. It is agreed that spending public money to promote a healthy lifestyle for the prevention of illnesses is more importantly than for the treatment of already ill people. This argument will be proven that prevention is better than cure, and already ill people are expected to be at their terminal life.
For one, spending state funds on promoting a healthy lifestyle to prevent illnesses is better because prevention is better than cure. For instance, when I was working as an RHU (Rural Health Unit) nurse in a small community called San Pablo situated in the province of Pangasinan in the Philippines; we disseminated multivitamins and done vaccinations for children in the area because our government had a program called “Eliminate Diseases by Prevention”, so we, as health officials and workers implemented it. It is actually a good campaign because no children in that particular community have had serious children diseases. Thus, they became healthier and the public money has been used wisely.
In addition to this, it is no sense using the people’s money for those who are already ill because it is expected that they will be at their terminal life. For instance, in the ICU (Intensive Care Unit) of Urdaneta Sacred Heart Hospital where I am currently assigned to a hospital as a duty nurse, we have a terminally ill colon cancer patient, Mrs Corazon Cojuanco. When she is in her final stage and any further medications or treatments will not work in prolonging her life. So, cancer patients who are at their last stage, such as colon, lung or breast, should not be funded anymore because it is useless. It is really better to allocate the money for the promotion of healthy lifestyles.
In conclusion, spending more public money on a healthier lifestyle is better because prevention is always better than treating an already ill patient as well as it is no sense using it because they are already at their terminal stage of their life. Thus, it has proven that it is more important to spend public money on promoting a healthy lifestyle in order to prevent illness than to spend it on the treatment for people who are already ill. Thus, improving healthy lifestyles is highly recommended.
[ Written by – Rona Lyn Olivar ]
Sample Answer 2:
Nature is the mother, origin and root of everything. Everything is part of nature and the humankind is not an exception for that. Yet, we, mankind, have a distinctive difference with other parts of nature, the capability of thinking or so-called “Rationale”. This ability sometimes leads to cruel actions, for example, neglecting ill or old people. Nowadays, some people engaged in a debate that is involving healthy people and those who are sick and ill. In greater detail, the discussion is on the subject of spending money for normal and healthy people instead of taking care of ill people. In the following, reasons and examples are stated about this debate.
Every person has heard this proverb: ”Preventing is cheaper than cure”. This generates a theory which one of its basis is leaving ill people and focusing on future. Actually, it is a rule of nature that weak should be killed. At first sight, it is true but when you look at it from above it is an absolutely wrong rule. A life cycle of a person consists of birth, childhood, youth, growing old and eventually death. Considering the topic of our essay, being old or ill is associated with diseases. It is nature of oldness. On the whole, ill people, whether they are old or not, shouldn’t be evaluated by their health status. History is a great witness & supports for this fact, for example, “Steven Hawking”, the great scientist of physics. He could not even move his fingers but contributed to the significant developments in the world.
On the other hand, a person is not just body and physic. Everybody has a soul, memory and feelings. When we intend to forget them and just considering future, thinking with regards to spending and saving money for next generation and future, this origin a great harm to unhealthy people.
To sum up, it can be argued that, we, humans, shouldn’t care just about pleasant and apparently right people and occasions. Ill people are like us. They feel, enjoy and think. They should have behaved well and considered via spending money or paying attention to them.
Sample Answer 3:
Healthy lifestyle and healthy living are two commonly used terms nowadays. With the technological advancement and modern lifestyle, people are diverted from keeping themselves fit and healthy. The issue of promoting health is quite in a vogue. Some people think that more money should be spent on creating awareness among the people, instead of treating the ones who are already ill. The below paragraphs will analyse the problem in detail before coming to an appropriate conclusion.
With the modernization and urbanisation more and more people are exposed to diseases nowadays. People are becoming ill and affected by various debilitating diseases like TB, Diabetes and Cancer. Individual himself cannot be totally blamed for this condition. It is both the government and the rapidly changing lifestyle of the people, responsible for their health problems. It is, therefore, the duty of the authority to look after its people. The government must spend a little amount of money on the health issues created in the country. This can be done in various ways.
Firstly, there should be awareness created among the people about the healthy living. Health care programs, campaigns, seminars etc. should be organised by the authority to inform people about the consequences of an unhealthy lifestyle. Issues concerning proper sanitation, balanced diet, regular exercise should be dealt with. Secondly, health care facilities should be improved; for example, diagnostic facilities like X-ray, MRI should be available to the patient in order to start the treatment as early as possible. Lastly, since each and every person cannot afford the cost of his treatment, those should be taken care of. Moreover, helping ill and poor people in terms of money for the sake of humanity can be the one reason.
To conclude, I neither completely agree nor disagree with the statement that money should solely be spent on promoting health and not on treating people who are ill. In fact, expenditure should be done equally for overcoming both the problems. Treatment should be carried out with the awareness programmes so that spreading of this problem can be prevented further.
[ Written by – Fatema Bohari ]
Sample Answer 4:
Health is a major concern and hot topic all the time to discuss. Major diseases are increasing and quality of life is decreasing nowadays. I believe that prevention is better than cure. I strongly agree that governments should spend money and time to promote healthy lifestyles, in order to prevent the diseases than spending money that who are suffering from terminal illness.
Firstly terminal illness, like cancer, renal disease, delirium all this cannot be cured can only manage the symptoms experienced by clients. Secondly how much money we spend on this diseases also only can increase the lifespan and not able to provide quality of life. However, all this terminal illness can be preventable, if they take care themselves from maintaining healthy habits. Thirdly, to treat and manage these terminal diseases the cost of treatment is very high. However, people use insurance and med save, still not enough that money they need to top-up additionally to take treatment. Many clients they unable to manage them and hospitalised frequently.
Coming to the prevention of diseases, many people were educated in this modern world, so that easy to educate everybody on how to prevent diseases and as well as to promote quality of life. The government should spend the money to advertise on healthy eating habits, management of stress, diseases caused by drinking alcohol and smoking. Many major diseases caused by long-term diseases, for example, diabetes and hypertension. The government should conduct free health camps at least twice a year to screen the people and give the health education how to manage diabetes, hypertension. So that people can manage their health at home and also can prevent major diseases caused by them.
To sum up, since, many major diseases caused by poor healthy habits, stress and long-term diseases. So that I strongly agree that government spend the money on advertising on how to prevent illness than cure the terminal illness.
[ Written by – Sandhya Ch ]