about 9/10 people are not educated on their health or what medical help they can access and how to access it. This affects overall public health as people are less likely to seek help at an earlier stage leading to more complex issues, more likely to not get vaccines or procedures due to misinformation, and more likely to make unhealthy choices overall.
Improving public health and alleviating pressure on health services starts with education. There’s a really great analogy of saving people in a river. It’s great to pull them out when they’re drowning but it’s even better to look upstream and fix the bridge they keep falling off of.
Of course it’s something the govt should invest in - educating people what symptoms to look for, what they can manage at home, and what services they can access apart from A&E and 999. But it also starts with you! like instead of panicking about a small injury and running into A&E, call 111 or walk into an urgent care! Or if you’ve got a sore throat or UTI go to a pharmacy!
I know it’s yet another thing to be literate about but it’s something that really benefits not just you but also the health system and others around you (:
**disclaimer: I’m UK based but this applies to anywhere
