Biopiracy

Biopiracy is a circumstance where indigenous information of nature, starting with indigenous people groups, is utilized by others for the benefit, without consent from and with next to zero pay or acknowledgment to the indigenous individuals themselves. For instance when bio-prospectors draw on indigenous learning of therapeutic plants which is later protected by medicinal organizations without perceiving the way that the information is not new, or created by the patenter, and denying the indigenous group to the rights to commercial exploitation of the innovation that they themselves had created. Critics of this practice, for example, Greenpeace, assert these practices add to disparity between developing nations rich in biodiversity, and developed nations facilitating organizations that take part in 'biopiracy'. 

It implies natural robbery, illicit gathering of indigenous plants by company who patent them for their own utilization. 

• Unauthorized utilization of natural assets 
• Unauthorized utilization of indigenous groups' knowledge on biological resources
• Unequal share of advantages between patent holder and the indigenous group 

For e.g. blood robbery of Raute for inspecting; in 2000, the US company RiceTec (an auxiliary of RiceTec AG of Liechtenstein) endeavored to patent certain hybrids of basmati rice, and semidwarf long-grain rice. The Indian government mediated and several cases of the patent were nullified. For e.g. in the interim, the European Commission has consented to secure basmati rice under its controls relating to geological indications, etc.

Importance of Environmental Health

Maintaining a healthy environment is central to increasing quality of life and years of healthy life. Globally, nearly 25 percent of all deaths and the total disease burden can be attributed to environmental factors. Environmental factors are diverse and far-reaching. They include: Exposure to hazardous substances in the air, water, soil, and food; Natural and technological disasters; Physical hazards; Nutritional deficiencies, etc.

Poor environmental quality has its greatest impact on people whose health status is already at risk. We can take the example of present burning issue i.e. global warming due to which sea level is rising and engulfing our dwelling places gradually. Therefore, environmental health must address the societal and environmental factors that increase the likelihood of exposure and disease.

Environmental health tells us how to deal directly with the pollution and all the tricks to prevent the harmful effects of this pollution. For example, house planning, proper disposal of wastages, personal protective equipments against communicable diseases, workplaces, etc. It’s the field of study with diverse dimensions in all aspects of the world including natural and artificial environment. All the aspect of human safety which includes external and internal physical, mental and conscience health lies in the environmental health.

Introduction to Environmental Health

Meaning:

-    Environment: 

According to Last, J. M. (Ed.). (1995), it is defined as all that which is external to the individual host. It can be divided into physical, biological, social, and cultural factors, any or all of which can influence health status in populations. 

-   Health: 

According to WHO, Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

Thus, Environmental Health can be defined as all the components external to the individual host that can influence the state of complete physical, mental and social well-being of that host. And these can be either internal which comprises mental state and physical (internal) processes or external which comprises surroundings of human being: Physical (Air, water, climate), Biological (trees (plants), living beings, and parasites), Social (culture, customs, behavior, concept, belief, etc).

According to WHO, Environmental health is defined as "those aspects of the human health and disease that are determined by factors in the environment. It also refers to the theory and practice of assessing and controlling factors in the environment that can potentially affect health."

· Application of Environmental Health:

The main purpose of environmental health is to create and maintain ecological conditions that will promote health and thus prevent disease. Environmental health comprises those aspects of human health, including quality of life, that are determined by physical, chemical, biological, social and psycho-social factors in the environment.

Environmental Health can be applied for the following purposes:

1. Prevention of disease and poisoning, especially those with unrecognized agents
2. Identifying the risk factors for the health disorder
3. Maintaining an environment suited to man’s efficient performance, and
4. Preservation of comfort and the enjoyment of living
5. Guide for policy development
6. Devise intervention and prevention
7. Assess, correct, control and prevent those factors in the environment that can potentially affect the health of present and future generations.
8. Public awareness and education
9. Disseminate information on how to reduce exposures

Distinction between Public health, Community Health, Social Medicine and Community Medicine

First and foremost, among these four terms the words ‘Health’ and ‘Medicine’ used should be distinguished. We define health as “a complete state of physical, mental, social and (newly added) spiritual well-being not merely absence of disease or injury” and medicine as “the science or practice of the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease”. Thus, these two words separate the meaning of ‘public health’ and ‘community health’ with ‘social medicine’ and ‘community medicine’. 

Public health means the science and art to prevent diseases, to promote health and prolong life of the people through an organized effort for sanitation of environment, education of the individual in personal hygiene, control of communicable diseases, organization medical and nursing facilities for early diagnosis and preventive treatment of disease, development of social machinery to ensure everyone a standard of living adequate for the maintenance of health; so organizing these benefits as to enable every citizen to realize his/her birthright of health and longevity.- CEA Winslow, 1920. In a sense, Public Health is both a body of knowledge and also a means to apply that knowledge.

Community health, a field of public health, is a discipline that concerns itself with the study and betterment of the health characteristics of biological communities. While the term community can be broadly defined, community health tends to focus on geographic areas rather than people with shared characteristics. In some instance, it is used as a synonym for ‘environmental health’.

‘Social Medicine’ is a product of France, Germany, Belgium and other European countries. Firmly based in the medical profession, it reflected a concern with the role of social factors in the etiology of disease, which can be known as “social pathology” and the need for government action in the areas of disease prevention and medical care. It tells human is not only a biological animal, but also a social being, and disease has social causes, social consequences, and social therapy. So it stands on two pillars- medicine and sociology.

‘Community medicine’ became prevalent in the United States as a substitute for ‘social medicine’, since the latter term sounds too much like “socialism”. It is a newcomer which has borrowed heavily from the concepts, approaches, and methods of public health, preventive medicine and social medicine. It is a practice which focuses on health of the community as a whole. As of date, there is still confusion and conflict about the roles, tasks and professional identities in the service as well as the academic worlds of community medicine.

But directly or indirectly, these terms deals with the health of the people as a whole, identifying various causes and risk factors for health related problems and taking actions for solving them. Also, they carry major implications for public health policy. All need the strong foundation of epidemiology and biostatistics.

Nepal Health Sector Program, Implementation Plan, 2004-2009

NHSP-IP (2004-2009) was particularly in achieving the health component of the Millennium Development Goals as set out in HMG’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper, Nepal’s 10th Five Year Plan, and its fiscal framework.

The NHSP-IP (2004-2009) was a sector-wide program focused on performance results and health policy reform implemented under sector-wide approach (SWAP) with an agreed set of program performance indicators and policy reform milestones for the program duration. It was the operational guideline for implementing the outputs of the Health Sector Reform Strategy during its first five years. It presented a roadmap for this implementation. It ran from July 2004 - July 2009. This covered the remaining period of the Tenth Five-Year Plan (2002-2007) and took into account its Medium Term Expenditure Framework. It includes MDG and poverty reduction.

NHSP-IP re-emphasized the objectives of Tenth Five Year Plan (2002-2007) which was to operationalize the Second long-term health plan. They are as follows:

• Making essential health care services (EHCS) available to all people
• Establishing decentralized health system to encourage peoples’ participation
• Establishing Public-private –NGO partnership in the delivery of health care services, 
• Improving the quality of healthcare through the total quality management of human, financial and physical resources

This program also aims to further decrease fertility rate, provide quality health services and bring effectiveness and efficiency in the healthcare.

NHSP-IP sets out three Programme Outputs to strengthen the health service delivery:

1. Prioritized Essential Health Care Services: The priority elements of Essential Health Care Service costed, allocated the necessary resources and implemented. Clear systems in place to ensure that the poor and vulnerable have priority for access 
2. Decentralized Management of Health Facilities: Local bodies responsible and capable of managing health facilities in a participative, accountable and transparent way with effective support from the MoH and its sector partners. 
3. Role for the Public Private Partnership: The role of the private sector and NGOs in the delivery of health services recognized and developed with participative representation at all levels which ensure consumers get access to cost-effective high-quality services that offer value for money.                                                                                                                                                                                                              Five Sector Management Outputs                             
4. Sector Management: Co-ordinated and consistent Sector Management (planning, programming, budgeting, financing and performance management) in place within the MoH supported by the EDPs, to support decentralized service delivery with the involvement of the NGO and private sectors.
5. Financing and Resource Allocation: Sustainable development of health financing and resource allocation across the whole sector including alternative financing schemes in place.
6. Management of Physical Assets: Structure and systems established and resources allocated within the MoH for the effective management of physical assets and procurement, distribution and rational use of drugs, supplies and equipment.
7. Human Resource Development: Clear and effective Human Resource Development policies, planning
8. Integrated Management Information System and Quality Assurance Policy: Comprehensive and integrated management information system for the whole health sector designed and functional at all levels.

Thus, there are a total eight Health Sector Programme Outputs.