Vetnews | September 2024 2 « BACK TO CONTENTS I’ve got a coffee mug with an inscription and picture printed on it: “Real doctors treat more than one species”. It is my preferred mug, for my my son-in-law, a medical doctor! You can only imagine the backlash and banter that it evokes. It, however, does raise the question if veterinarians could and should be considered health professionals. Health is defined as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. The enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being without distinction of race, religion, political belief, economic or social condition. Nutrition, lifestyle, environment, and genetics are considered the four pillars of health and determinants thereof. When any one or more of these is compromised, health is at risk and some form of health care is required as a support system. Proper nutrition by insurance of safe and wholesome food from secured food sources is a critical part of health and development. Better nutrition is related to improved infant, child and maternal health, stronger immune systems, safer pregnancy and childbirth, lower risk of communicable and non-communicable diseases (such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease), and longevity. During graduation, all veterinarians undertake and sign the veterinary oath stating: I herewith solemnly declare that I will: • practise my profession with honesty and integrity, • maintain and uphold high professional and scientific standards, • treat my patients to the best of my knowledge and ability and never intentionally cause them harm, • use my professional knowledge, skills and resources to protect and promote the health and welfare of animals and humans, (emphasis added) • continue to improve my professional knowledge and strive to further the status and image of the profession. Calvin Schwabe has proposed that “human health provides the most logical unifying or apical cause in veterinary medicine’s hierarchy of values.” Veterinarians thus have the opportunity and the responsibility to protect human health and well-being in all that they do. Their broad, comparative medical training and environmental perspective add critical insights to solving a broad spectrum of health problems, including but not limited to those involving animals directly or indirectly. Today with public awareness of and focus on food safety, concerns over bioterrorism preparedness, the environment, and biodiversity, and the highly visible epidemics, veterinarians play a critical role as a members of a collaborative health effort. The Institute of Medicine has defined public health as “what we, as a society, do collectively to assure the conditions in which people can be healthy.” Veterinarians are making important contributions to public health in the areas of food security and safety, emerging infectious diseases, environmental health, zoonotic and non-zoonotic disease surveillance, prevention, and control, health security, and basic and applied medical research. Veterinarians, through the diverse services they render, do and always will make a considerable impact on the health and welfare of humans, directly or indirectly. It can thus be postulated that veterinarians are indeed health professionals. v Kind regards, Paul van der Merwe From the President Dear members, Family Feud
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTc5MDU=