Be Intentional About Your Health

Never outsource your health to the surrogates of those who own the plantations. Too often many of us turn a blind eye to our personal health. The consequences of such actions can be devastating and many do not live to tell the tale. However, there are many realities in this space. In many instances where there are no trade union representations employees often lose a day’s pay should they not report for work. This reality becomes more impacting when one has a family. Needless to say, if one is unwell, one’s productivity in the workplace will diminish. One’s state of wellness is not only physical, but mental health impacts our overall physical wellbeing. Given, our history of enslavement and colonization many countries are indeed shapely alongside a plantation-like system. Within the plantation system the owners and or their surrogates are primarily concerned with profit. Health advice is shaped more by profit motives than by genuine care. Michal Jackson, in his song, “They Don’t Care about Us”, wrote, Tell me what has become of my rights, Am I invisible 'cause you ignore me? The invisibility to which Jackson alluded in his song is very much visible in societies with a history of enslavement. The duality in such societies is stark. This is visible in the education system, the healthcare system as well as the justice system. One’s visibility is largely dependent upon how connected one is in the society. Such connections of visibility are grounded in indicators such as wealth, politics, family, education, skin colour, sex, even religion. The issue then becomes how we strike a balance when advice is evidence-based and trustworthy versus when it is shaped by profit or politics. Affordable Healthcare is not affordable. The politics of health care involves how government,, ideology, and stakeholders shape health policy, affecting access, quality, and equity. It is a high-stakes, partisan issue, with debates often centering on financing and affordability. Unfortunately, many employees are unaware of their rights or afraid to advocate for their rights concerning their health. For some of us there is a feeling of guilt in taking a sick day. There should be no feeling of guilt to reclaim the agency regarding your personal health. If your work yourself to death remember you will be replaced before your body becomes cold. The work goes on and it must. Health and Human Rights. Human rights are universal rights of all human beings, regardless of race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. The World Health Organization (WHO) adds that the right to health and other health-related human rights are legally binding commitments enshrined in international human rights instruments. The WHO’s Constitution also recognizes the right to health. Every human being has the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health. Countries have a legal obligation to develop and implement legislation and policies that guarantee universal access to quality health services and address the root causes of health disparities, including poverty, stigma and discrimination. The right to health includes 4 essential, interrelated elements: availability, accessibility, acceptability and quality. Availability refers to the need for a sufficient quantity of functioning health facilities, goods and services for all. Availability can be measured through the analysis of disaggregated data to different indicators including by age, sex, location and socio-economic status and qualitative surveys to understand coverage gaps. Accessibility requires that health facilities, goods, and services must be accessible to everyone. Accessibility has four dimensions: non-discrimination, physical accessibility, economic accessibility (affordability) and information accessibility. This is particularly important for persons with disabilities who often encounter significant barriers to health related to the inaccessibility of services, facilities and health information. Assessing accessibility requires analysis of physical, geographical, financial and other barriers to health systems and services, and how they may affect people who are marginalized. It requires the establishment or application of clear norms and standards in both law and policy to address these barriers. Acceptability relates to respect for medical ethics, culturally appropriate, and sensitivity to gender. Acceptability requires that health facilities, goods, services and programmes are people-centred and cater to the specific needs of diverse population groups and in accordance with international standards of medical ethics for confidentiality and informed consent. Quality extends to the underlying determinants of health, for example safe and potable water and sanitation as well as requiring that health facilities, goods, and services are scientifically and medically approved. Prioritize Your Health. Health is not just about personal choices it is deeply political. Governments, employers, and institutions shape the conditions under which employees can succeed or suffer. Yet, reclaiming personal agency through knowledge, proactive care, divine assurance and refusal to feel guilt for prioritizing health is an essential act of resistance against systems that commodify human bodies. Prioritizing your health involves making intentional, daily choices to support physical and mental well-being. Maintaining good health is purposeful. Sometimes, your job is the source of your ill-health and therefore one has to make a decision. Prioritizing your health means being proactive and treating your body as the foundation for everything else in life, work, relationships, leisure, and spirituality. Good health is not about outsourcing your responsibility. It is about actively cultivating habits that keep you healthy and independent. Healthcare can be commodified and controlled by systems that do not necessarily prioritize human well-being. It is for this reason we must become proactive in defending our own healthcare. Empowering oneself with knowledge include learning the basics of nutrition, exercise, sleep, and stress management. Prioritizing your health also means consulting your doctor and doing critical medical tests which are critical at different phases of our lives. Many of us are guilty of abusing our bodies, however, it never too late to prioritize our health, given that your body is your responsibility. It is also important that we recognize that collective knowledge (medicine, research) is a resource, not a master. In Jeremiah 29:11, it says, For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues. waykam@yahoo.com @WayneCamo ©