Health is a state of well-being and physical and mental balance that allows us to carry out our activities normally and lead a life in good condition. Mental health is often excluded in this area, “which is very important, especially today, when we are living through a period with many problems of depression and anxiety.”
Adolfo René Méndez Cruz, head of the Medical Surgeon career at the Faculty of Higher Studies (FES) Iztacala of the UNAM, indicated that in our society states of anguish and anxiety prevail that prevent us from acting and carrying out our work correctly.
This April 7 marks World Health Day, which recalls that on this date, but in 1948, the World Health Organization (WHO) was founded.
In Mexico, for example, there are big differences between life expectancy in the center and north of the country.
universal health
“WHO has done an impressive job. Thanks to the modifications in the health systems of many countries, the life expectancy of the population has improved by an average of 23 years, since 1948”, highlighted Méndez Cruz.
However, “universal health is a pending challenge and an ideal that has not been achieved,” he said.
According to the international organization, universal health means that all people have access, without discrimination, to comprehensive quality health services.
This requires the definition and implementation of policies and actions with a multisectoral approach, to address the social determinants of health and encourage the commitment of all of society to promote it.
Regarding mental illnesses, he stressed that if they are not considered, they are not treated. “Many people are apparently physically healthy, but emotionally upset.”
For years, at the FES Iztacala they have been concerned regarding their young people and apply medical, biological and psychological examinations. Since 2009, new students have been given anthropometric tests and blood tests to detect, for example, glucose disorders.
“Something fundamental is to pay attention to these conditions and attend immediately to avoid falling into imbalances that damage health in the long term,” he concluded.
