WHO and Cooperation in the Field of Medicine.

 

 

WHO is a specialized agency of the United Nations with primary responsibility for international health matters and public health. It was founded on April the 7^th, 1948. For the first time in the history it was truly global organization to protect and promote human health.

WHO activities take many forms:

- health education related to global health problems and environmental health;

- controlling and eradicating epidemic diseases; epidemic warnings;

- protecting mother and child health;

- improving sanitation and water supply;

- promotion of proper nutrition;

- immunization programs against the main infectious diseases;

- provision of essential drugs and vaccines.

The main concepts of WHO global health development are the concept of Primary Health Care (defined in 1978) and Health for All (declared in 1977).

 

It is difficult to achieve positive results in improving health levels unless there are close contacts between the countries. Thus international cooperation in medicine comprises many countries and organizations. There are three types of such cooperation: bilateral, multilateral and unilateral.

Multilateral cooperation is a collective work on joint problems facing several countries. F.e. cooperation between Russia and European countries (Sweden, France, Austria) covers the problem of transplantation, creation of artificial organs, oncological diseases. Bilateral cooperation is cooperation between two countries in some special spheres and on special problems. F.e. Russian-Britain cooperation in treatment of eye diseases, viral infection, in fighting flu and organizing emergency aid service.

 

 

Unilateral cooperation is that type of cooperation when one developed country gives medical assistance to some country of the “third world”. F.e. many Russian doctors work in hospitals and medical faculties of the universities in different “third world” countries.

 

 

 

Health and Environment

 

 

Environment is the complex of physical, chemical and biotic factors that act upon an organism or an ecological community and determine its form and survival.

All of us undergo direct or indirect influence by environmental factors such as air, water, soil and food. It is a fact that since his early day on the earth man has been interesting with nature, and it is this interference that is at the root of the present day global crisis.

The problem of environment was first recognized only in the midforties. Man changes nature; builds cities, creates channels, uses natural resources. As a result of this our planet becomes insuitable for humanity.

Pollution is a global problem.

Air is the most immediately vital resource. Air pollution results from introduction of harmful materials into the atmosphere (chemical, radioactive and biological). There is a definite correlation between the degree of air pollution and rates of incidence and death from bronchitis, pneumonia and lung cancer.

Water pollution means contamination of water supplies by industrial, domestic, agriculture wastes. Water pollution becomes not only an esthetic problem for man; but an economic and medical one as well. Bacterial and viral contamination is a threat for the spread of waterborne diseases such as typhoid, cholera and hepatitis. The processes used to control water pollution include sedimentation, coagulation, filtration of the organic matter.

Medical science has shown that excessive noise can cause irritability, fatigue and emotional stress. Prolonged noise can also cause hearing loss, changes in heart rate, blood pressure and metabolism. Generally speaking noise is a serious threat to the quality of our lives.

The Earth is our home and we must take care of it, for ourselves and for the future generations. This

 

means keeping our Environment clean. World is interdependent and actions for environment protection must be the result of international cooperation. United we survive. However, each of us must do everything possible to keep the land, air and water clean.

The Greens refuse to identify progress. Their principle is “ act here and now ” and they try to act without delay