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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services | ||||
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| REMARKS BY: | TOMMY G. THOMPSON, SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES |
| PLACE: | The World Medical Association, Geneva, Switzerland |
| DATE: | May 14, 2002 |
I appreciate the WMA providing this opportunity once again this year for me to meet so many of my colleagues, health ministers from around the globe and senior officials of this prestigious organization.
The WMA provides a forum for the physicians of the world and is a powerful force for improving the lives of individuals and entire populations.
The WMA is spurring research at so many levels and is advancing global health across many fronts. Health care involves treatment with medicines and surgery … new drugs, new clinical procedures, new medical protocols.
But it must also involve something we often have not emphasized enough - prevention. Preventive health care is literally a matter of life and death.
In my country, prevention is an essential component of quality care. Up to 300,000 Americans die needlessly each year from diseases and health conditions related a sedentary lifestyle or poor eating habits. That's nearly as many as the 440,000 people who die each year in my country from smoking -- another preventable cause of death.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, seven in 10 American adults do not engage in regular physical activity. And 40 percent of adults are not active at all.
There are so many diseases that are preventable or controllable by making modest and attainable improvements in our level of activity and the food we eat. It is scientifically proven that moderate physical activity can reduce substantially the risk of developing diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, colon cancer, high blood pressure and obesity.
Let me suggest three achievable things that can substantially improve health and prevent the onset of disease:
First, be active. By walking 30 minutes a day, five days a week, you can significantly improve your health. A recent study by the National Institutes of Health showed that following this walking regimen helped reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes by nearly 60 percent.
Second, enjoy fruits and vegetables. Adding a couple pieces of fruit throughout the day as well as servings of your favorite vegetables with lunch and dinner will make a difference. Science proves that eating five fruits and vegetables can help prevent disease, including colon cancer and heart disease.
Third, don't smoke. If you do, quit. If you don't, don't start. And make sure the children in your life don't start either. There are so many tools and support groups to help people quit smoking today. Take advantage of them. It'll save your health and your pocketbook.
Of course, there are other actions that will help prevent premature death too. If you drink, do so in moderation. When in the sun, protect your skin and avoid skin cancer. And practice safety at work, in the car, and at home.
When healthy behaviors are ignored, illness and premature death are the result.
For example, seventeen million Americans have diabetes right now and 16 million more have pre-diabetes. Each year, there are 1 million new cases and nearly 200,000 people die from it. The cost to the economy: $100 billion annually in direct and indirect medical costs. All for a disease that, to a great extent, can be controlled or prevented by better management of our weight.
So, we in the Administration of President George W. Bush are serious about preventive health … and let me suggest, with great respect for the various dietary and cultural norms unique to your individual countries, that those of your from industrialized nations should be serious about preventive health, as well.
I know that some of you already are, and I look forward to working with you and learning from you as we add preventive health to the international health agenda.
The good news, of course, is that we are already working with one another extensively and successfully.
We in the United States view ourselves as your partners. We are committed to working with you to address the current and future health needs of the people of our various countries.
Disease knows no boundaries. Illness does not stop at a line on the map. And that awareness is animating our broad-based commitment to our common effort to foster better health for everyone.
We can point to some signal successes in this regard.
One example is the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which is leading a major new international effort to combat this worldwide scourge.
The U.S. has led efforts to establish the Global Fund and we have provided $500 million so far in contributions. The Global Fund is a wonderful example of public-private cooperation, of personal philanthropy, corporate generosity and public compassion.
My personal commitment to the Global Fund was deepened when, last month, I traveled to Africa, where I visited four nations that are working against AIDS, TB and malaria.
In Sub-Saharan Africa, there are about 12 million children who have been orphaned because their parents have died of AIDS. That, to me, is so painful I have difficulty comprehending it. Yet it is only one facet of the global health needs we are compelled by our common conscience to address.
Fighting diseases must be the work not only of all nations but also of many partners within those nations. In the United States, President Bush has renewed our commitment to volunteerism with his call for the American people to display their compassion and initiative in service to others.
One aspect of this effort is the President's decision to revitalize the National Health Service Corps and the Commissioned Public Health Service. These arms of the federal government play a critical role in sustaining the public health of my country, but they are matched by private sector organizations that encourage the kind of sacrificial service that's irreplaceable in any truly good society.
We are advocating public service not only at home, but abroad. One example is the Peace Corps. And I have advocated a volunteer corps to serve specifically in Africa, where health needs are so pressing and the demands are so great.
America's work for a healthy world cuts across political lines. That is why my government supports Taiwan's efforts to gain observership status at the World Health Assembly. We know this is a controversial issue, but we do not shrink from taking a public stance on it. The people of Taiwan deserve the same level of public health as citizens of every nation on earth, and we support them in their efforts to achieve it.
The central theme to everything I have discussed today can be summed up in a single word: Preparation.
Preparation to prevent and fight disease through concerted effort and common action … preparation to help the developing world address its critical health needs through compassionate and respectful intervention … and preparation to face the health needs of the future together, in vital partnership.
It was the American statesman Abraham Lincoln who reminded us that preparation is vital to the success of any endeavor. As he put it, "If you give me six hours to chop down a tree … I will spend the first four sharpening the axe."
In this assembly today, we are sharpening our axes. Much good work already has been done. Much more will be done. And it is in that confidence … in that commitment … that we can go forward together. The United States of America is proud to partner with you to that end.
Thank you again so very much.