Since ancient times people have often undertaken preventive measures to take care of their health. People have often been careful about their health and have tried to maintain proper hygiene so that they can keep germs at bay. Even doctors have encouraged people to exercise caution and keep themselves healthy. Many countries invest huge amounts of funds to improve healthcare. This is evident from the fact that many countries have immunisation vaccines and nationwide health awareness campaigns. Though modern medicine is widely available today, with proper measures several diseases and injuries are preventable and can be managed better with preventive measures. Thus, it is justified to say that one ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure because it helps in reducing inequality, suffering and is more feasible.
Many believe that role of modern medicine is to reduce global inequalities. However, even today not everyone has access to healthcare and awareness. Many underdeveloped nations in Africa continue to face the wrath of diseases like Malaria and diarrheal diseases. These diseases are either completely wiped out or occur rarely in developed countries. Supporters of cure believe that prevention is not a viable option in underdeveloped countries because of socio-economic problems faced. For example, it is believed that preventive measures for AIDS have not worked in Africa. Social problems and lack of education continue to persist in these African countries which makes prevention a less viable option. In such circumstances, it can be argued that focus should be on cure rather than prevention. An example of this can be diseases like Diphtheria and Tuberculosis when the cure of these diseases was found the number of fatalities declined considerably. Thus, the cure is better than prevention as it helps to reduce global inequality.
However, this is a myopic view because some diseases that plague the world still do not have a definite cure. For example, diseases like AIDS still do not have a cure which means better preventive measures are required. Furthermore, it is practically impossible to provide people with a cure for all diseases. In such cases, it becomes imperative that the focus is on prevention rather than on cure. Richer nations are more at an advantage to deal with such diseases but economically weak nations cannot deal with such issues. People receiving a diagnosis of cancer is devastating for anyone, in developed nations with high income, people can receive treatment and hopefully be cured. However, what about the fates of the who live in poor nations and do not have access to specialists and medicines? In such countries, prevention is a better option because it is cost-effective and can benefit the community in the long-term. For example, diseases like Polio have been successfully eradicated from countries like India, through effective vaccination programmes, which is considered the most preventive measure against the disease. Therefore, one ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure because all countries do not have access to a cure.
Disease prevention is better than cure because it also brings about social change in the process. While undertaking prevention programmes, many other initiatives are run parallel to these programs. For instance, many realised that the rising number of AIDS cases in Africa stem from lack of education and treatment of women. This led to initiatives where women were encouraged to get educated. One such programme which was started in Uganda was The PAVING project funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which raised awareness about gender-based violence and the mass awareness led to the decline of the disease. Similarly, Mental health is an integral and essential component of health. Mental health prevention programmes help individuals to identify and address the stigma attached to mental health issues. Therefore, one ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure as it helps to bring social change.
Role of modern medicine is to provide comfort to people and alleviate pain. In this sense, prevention is better than cure because it can help in reducing pain that can be caused by cure. Cure in the form of surgeries, painful therapies and procedures can only cause more suffering. In such cases, it is better to undertake preventive measures that can reduce suffering. This is truer in the case of diseases which do not have any known cures. For instance, in the case of a novel coronavirus, there is no known cure, which makes it essential to take adequate precautionary measures to prevent the virus. If people undertake these measures, they can prevent the disease and protect themselves from the pain and discomfort associated with the disease. Similarly, in the case of type 2 diabetes, people do not just need a cure but proper prevention. Lifestyle changes like daily moderate exercise and a healthy diet are key in helping to prevent disease. Implementing dietary changes at a young age, can help in the prevention of diabetes and also obesity which can be detrimental to the health of an individual. Therefore, one ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure as it helps in keeping pain and discomfort at bay.
In conclusion, the statement, one ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure is justified. This is because cures do not always help because they can be expensive and ineffective. Moreover, in some cases, there is simply no cure and in such circumstances, prevention is the only way.
