World Health Definition

Introduction What exactly is “health”? Health is a term that is constantly changing. In fact, it is quite difficult to define health. The attempt by different individuals and societies to define health has led to great debate and unsolved conflict. According to the World Health Organization, health is a condition which involves social, mental and physical well-being of a person and not just the nonexistence of an illness or a disease (“World Health Organization”, n.d.). The main problem with their definition of health is, it disregards people with diseases or illness, disabilities and mental health disorders. Those who believe they are “healthy” will most likely favor the World Health Organization’s definition of health. Individuals who …show more content…
Those who suffer financially, for example, often lack resources and access to proper nutrition, acceptable housing, safe neighborhoods and working conditions, which can impact negatively on their health. As well, they may face financial and life stress, which if becomes too severe, can lead to health penalties such as high blood pressure, or immune and circulatory complications. On the other hand, those who have an excessive amount of income and benefits are likely to experience health conditions that are less reliant on substantial needs but are nonetheless affected by the stresses they face at home and at work and the degree to which they have control and decision-making influence in those settings. Generally, the degree to which people feel they have control over their circumstances is related to how healthy they …show more content…
Unfortunately, some people face barriers to health care services including physical inaccessibility, socio-cultural issues or the cost of non-insured health services (e.g. eye and dental care, mental health counselling and prescription drugs) (“Public Agency of Canada”, n.d.). There have been recent expansions in insurance coverage for the ones who can’t afford it. Despite these expansions, people from low-income families are not guaranteed access to quality health care services. The barriers for cancer patients changes drastically from regular patients. People that have cancer have a higher, much higher bill and insurance operates differently. There are three main barriers that cancer patients face: health systems, social/environmental, and individual barriers that are created by the patient themselves. Most cancer patients have inadequate health insurance and this is the major health barrier. When it comes to the social/environmental category, the inability to pay for the many treatments are another huge barrier. The last category, individual barriers, includes the fears and the distress that the patients