The pandemic has made people more conscious of their health. According to a Nielsen report, health and job security are the top two major concerns of Vietnamese consumers after the COVID-19 outbreak, followed by economic concerns.
While this has led Vietnamese to put their health on top of their priority list, how proactive are they really in taking care of themselves?
The difference between ‘healthcare’ and ‘sickcare’
According to WHO, “health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” To be truly healthy, proactive and regular healthcare is much more encouraged than sickcare, which focuses more on health maintenance and disease prevention rather than treating the illness like we do all the time.
Sickcare means damage control, with the primary goal to help relieve or stop an illness. However, in most cases, a drug intervention is needed to keep the disease from coming back or getting worse.
On the other hand, healthcare focuses on wellness, developing both physical and mental health. This includes building a proper diet, devising a healthy exercise plan, along with complementary therapies like acupuncture or massage.
Pursuing “healthcare” means spending more effort and money to maintain your healthy diets, exercise, and doctor visits. For example, paying more to have fresh foods or regular health checkups. Instead of neglecting your own health, and only see the doctor when you are sick, which is most certainly a “better” investment for your future.
How to make a habit of ‘healthcare’?
When it comes to health, most Vietnamese people still have the habit of “sickcare” rather than “healthcare”. Meanwhile, the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the fact that people with extant health conditions suffer a higher rate of deaths than those with better overall health before and during the pandemic.
Therefore, investing in healthcare is an optimal way to protect all aspects of life: physical health, mental health, and financial health.
Here are some of the easy ways to step closer toward “healthcare”:
Reduce the use of tobacco
Tobacco is one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced, killing more than 8 million people a year. Vietnam belongs in the top 15 countries with the highest rates of tobacco use. It may sound so deadly, but the tobacco epidemic is not like an unprecedented pandemic hitting us out of nowhere. It can be easily avoided by merely quitting or reducing smoking.
Just only one day after quitting smoking, the risk of heart-related diseases decreases, and a person’s oxygen levels rise. Over time, your body will be lighter and more energetic.
Exercise more and have a balanced diet
You may all know the benefits of exercise and a healthy diet, but most people can’t keep up with those habits, thinking that they are so challenging. However, just 20 minutes of moderate physical activities a day also helps avoid many dangerous diseases such as heart disease, cancer, or spine pain – the nightmare of many office workers.
Moreover, research also shows that exercise can be an effective treatment to depression. A healthy body nurtures a healthy mind. Remember that next time you feel reluctant to exercise!
As for diet, a balanced meal must include five food groups: green vegetables, fruits, nuts, dairy products, and protein. That would provide more than enough nutrition to maintain a healthy body.
Have regular health check-ups
Finally, having regular health check-ups every 6-12 months is an effective way to find life-threatening health issues and get early treatment before they become worse. However, most Vietnamese people haven’t formed the habit of regular check-ups and only see the doctor when they are already ill, which leads to difficulties in illness treatment, higher costs, and more pain for the patients.
Jio Health is one of the pioneers in comprehensive care solutions, providing health care packages such as Jio Prime and Jio Premium 360. Through the Jio Health app, users can easily schedule regular health checkups from their homes, which avoids the risk of cross-infection and the long line of patients waiting for their turn at the clinic or hospital.
The future of healthcare
When movements were restricted due to the pandemi, telehealth emerged as a solution to the healthcare crisis. According to Deloitte, the application of technology in healthcare is not only a trend during the pandemic, but will keep thriving and driving the future of the healthcare system with the inevitable shift from treatment-based reactionary care to prevention and well-being.
Throughout the pandemic, thousands of severe cases have been promptly treated through telehealth. Assoc.Prof., Dr. Nguyen Lan Hieu, Director of Hanoi Medical University Hospital, said, “Telehealth will be the third arm supporting the doctor.”
In the face of that digital transformation, Jio Health has built a modern and friendly healthcare ecosystem to optimize customer experience. Each customer is set up with a health record that includes all information about their health history. This makes it easier for customers to manage their own health records, as well as for doctors and medical staff to be fully informed of each patient’s health conditions to devise a suitable treatment plan.
Thanks to such features, people are gradually becoming more proactive in scheduling regular health check-ups, making the transition from passive treatment to active healthcare easier and faster.
As Thomas Edison once said, “The doctor of the future will give no medication, but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, diet and in the cause and prevention of disease.”
To achieve a proactive prevention mindset, technology is an integral element to navigate the healthcare system in the era of digitalization.
Translated by Bich Tram