WATCHING OUR HEALTH

Questions of life and death have always concerned mankind and each one of us will inevitably face them. For centuries mankind has asked itself the question: how can we live longer and better and if possible delay that unwanted termination of life? Of course, if you rule out the possibility of an accident that faces all of us, the length and quality of our lives frequently depend on our state of health. Assuming health is the be-all and end-all, it could be said that the health of the nation in general is a strategic indicator of how successful it is.

In a healthy body…

The health of the nation is a multi-layered concept which includes not only the state of health of the individuals that make up our society but also the many criteria that define how we provide this health; not only the physiological but also the psychological factors. That said, some of the indicators of the nation's health are not only concern for health per se, but the eradication of harmful habits and other factors that have a negative influence on our lives (the environment, hazardous and heavy work, and so on) and the promotion of a healthy way of life. After all, at the end of the day, a healthy nation is a potential resource for a country. In other words, you could say that health in general is a sign of the quality of life in a country.

To be honest, a healthy way of life is not a strong point of our fellow-countrymen. In recent years, omnipresent stress, a frantic life style, environment and diet have also had a negative influence on health. Over the past three years the death rate from diseases of the nervous system has doubled in Azerbaijan. As all over the world, cardiovascular diseases take sad precedence, followed strongly by cancerous diseases. 

The fact that in the past ten years the average life span in Azerbaijan has increased from 72.3 to 73.8 years is further proof of this. Death from a number of illnesses, including contagious and parasitical diseases and diseases of the endocrine, respiratory and digestive systems, has been eradicated or partially reduced.

On the other hand, unlike the hardy Japanese, whose average lifespan (82 years) is the highest in the world, the people of Azerbaijan (who are, of course, mostly urban dwellers who are more prone to stress and other destructive urban factors) are not very inclined towards either a healthy lifestyle or prompt and regular monitoring of their health like, for example, the Americans. Our traditions have helped form a particular culture of eating - meat and fatty foods - throughout the long working day. Life has changed over the centuries, but dietary traditions haven't, and muscular people have turned into bloated office workers. For this very same reason - the absence of such traditions - unlike, say, the western countries, there are few people who engage in sport for their health's sake and not to acquire a nice figure.

That splendid tradition of regular "check-ups" - voluntary full annual medical reviews - has not yet caught on in our country. There are many reasons for this and one of them is the high cost of services and screening at medical centres.

A certain section of the population, however, visits their doctor on a regular basis - these are usually the employees of government or foreign companies where a regular review is prescribed in their rules. Having medical insurance is also a bonus in a company and these are used regularly. For example, Ellada Kiryakulova, a translator for an oil company, says: "I see my doctor from time to time for a check-up or a screening. Of course, I use my insurance, otherwise I wouldn't have enough money for a full check-up."

A second, also quite important although very distressing factor is people's lack of confidence in local medicine. For example, Amid Rahimov, 28, who works in a bank, complains: "I had been seeing the doctor for a year because I was worried by pain in my heart. They looked at me and told me my heart was fine and put it down to seasonal changes. So I delved deeper on the Internet and found out I had a stomach ulcer, its symptoms are very similar. Actually, it's hard to talk about the nation having sound health when people without any medical education are looking for a cure on the "almighty" Web.

A consultant psychologist, Aliya Allahyarova, makes this comment: "Of course, there are people who watch their health, eat the right things, visit their doctor regularly and engage in sport, but, unfortunately, there aren't many like that. Then there is another group of people who are almost paranoid about going to their doctor and look for something wrong with them. This is a certain type of phobia, a fear of death, and this may be due to problems in the family from which they want to hide behind their own illnesses, which at times are imaginary." Incidentally, there are also people who show an amazing forbearance when it comes to their health, putting off visiting their doctor until the last moment. "I don't want to see my doctor because I'm afraid I'll hear something terrible," Mustafa Rzayev, 40, a teacher, admits.

Although strict monitoring of our own health is not inherent in our nation, this is more of a social factor than an ethnic one. Most of the population are simply not informed about the most elementary vital norms which are considered natural in western countries, a psychologist says. In an expert's opinion, promoting a healthy lifestyle should be one of the areas of government strategy. Encouraging a trend towards regular sport should begin from childhood, the expert believes.

State policy

A number of measures designed to monitor the health of the population and to promptly diagnose chronic illnesses has already been introduced in Azerbaijan. To this end nine state programmes on priority spheres of health have been adopted.

Attention is being focused on providing free medicines and treatment for people on low incomes and those suffering from serious illnesses. Consistent measures have also been taken to improve the quality of medical services for mothers and children, and there are six perinatal centres operating in the country. Overall, repairs and construction work have been carried out at 500 medical establishments in the past 10 years. About 70 per cent of these have been in the regions. 

At the same time, large diagnostic centres, which can treat virtually all types of illnesses without the patient needing to go to the capital, have been built in the regions and provided with state-of-the-art equipment. It is not by chance that the Concept for Development "Azerbaijan 2020: outlook on the future", which was endorsed by a decree of the Azerbaijani president, also provides for a dynamic growth in the proportion of funds in GDP allocated for health and the creation of mechanisms ensuring the rational use of such funds.

Doctors from leading medical centres in Baku also frequently carry out on-site visits in some parts of Azerbaijan. For example, there is an oncology programme, as part of which special vans carry vital equipment and oncology specialists. Their work mainly extends to regions where there are no clinics or medical equipment. This work is conducted as part of the fight against the ever-increasing number of cases of breast cancer.

In March this year compulsory medical examinations were introduced at out-patients' hospitals in Baku based on a "Health Month" project. In it one could be screened and see any doctor free of charge.  And a law on free clinical examinations for children was adopted in the country recently. This process will also be carried out at state medical establishments.

And in this case, the general strategy to promote a healthy lifestyle, advertising healthy food with the proper development of standards and monitoring of food products and sports programmes, could contribute to the overall objective of providing a healthy nation.