Some people assert that investing public money in the promotion of healthy living can have more profound impacts on disease prevention than spending tax money on treating existing patients. Although raising awareness of healthy lifestyles is of great significance, I firmly believe that the government would be better off spending their budget on the cures of existing diseases.
On the one hand, a valid argument to spend taxpayers’ money on promoting a healthy lifestyle is the simple fact that many medical conditions are the result of lifestyle choices, including poor dietary habits and lack of . For example, the obesity epidemic – a culprit of heart failure and diabetes – is fueled by the availability of fast food and sugary drinks , both of which are consumed at an alarming rate by people who lack good eating habits and nutrition knowledge. Furthermore, the excessive intake of unhealthy food works in conjunction with a sedentary lifestyle where exercises are , putting the health of many citizens at risk. Therefore, educating the public about the importance of portion control and healthy diets could be a good weight-related diseases.
On the other hand, there is no good reason to say that funding treatment for people who are already diagnosed with illnesses is less important. First, without proper treatment and medical care, people suffering from existing diseases could die from curable diseases . For instance, complications caused by the Covid-19 virus can make its hosts lose their ability to breathe, , but if a vaccine is administered in a timely manner, patients have a high chance of survival. Another important point to take into consideration is that promoting healthy life choices is not a thorough approach to disease prevention since and vices tend to differ from one another. Therefore, information about good diets and workout regimes will only benefit people who are already conscious of their health, and people who are prone to unhealthy lifestyle patterns will simply ignore such measures.
In conclusion, although encouraging people to live healthy could prevent diseases to some extent, it is not a conclusive solution. Thus, the state should continue funding the treatment of patients with existing health problems.