ALKÜ Faculty of Medicine Emphasizes Daily Protection on Public Health Week
Prof. Dr. Saliha Özpınar stated during the September 3-9 Public Health Week that health must be protected every day, not just during illness.
Prof. Dr. Saliha Özpınar, Head of the Department of Public Health at Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University Faculty of Medicine, emphasized in a statement for the September 3-9 Public Health Week that health must be protected every day, not just in the event of illness.
Public Health Approach Every Day
With the theme of Public Health Week 2026 as Public Health Every Day, it was emphasized that health must be protected every day, not just when illness arises.
This approach shows that public health is not a field of work remembered only on certain days, but a continuous responsibility spread across every stage of life.
Disease Prevention and Early Diagnosis
Public health does not focus solely on treating diseases; preventing the emergence of diseases and early diagnosis are of great importance.
Preventive health practices such as vaccination, healthy nutrition, physical activity, and cancer screenings raise the health level of society.
Impact of Social and Environmental Conditions
The conditions in which people are born, grow, receive education, work, and age have a decisive impact on health.
Public health does not just tell individuals to live healthy lives, but also aims to create conditions that make healthy choices possible.
The Importance of Equity in Health
Providing the exact same service to every individual may not always create an equal health outcome, and fair access is targeted for segments with different needs.
Enabling segments of society with different needs to fairly access health opportunities is among the primary goals of public health.
Cross-Sectoral Joint Responsibility
Strong health services are necessary to improve community health, but this alone is not sufficient.
Policies in different areas such as education, social services, local governments, environment, and transportation require a shared responsibility.
The Scientific Role of Universities
Universities hold a special position in examining society's health problems using scientific methods and producing evidence.
Training future health professionals and transforming generated knowledge into social benefit are among the core duties of universities.