Prevention or treatment?

Many people say that in order to fight diseases, the government should invest more money in encouraging a healthy lifestyle instead of spending money on the treatment of people who are already suffering from illness. I advocate this point of view.

On one hand, I agree that a large proportion of state budget should be allocated to activities or campaigns that promote a healthy lifestyle. This is because a lot of diseases nowadays are actually the direct result of people’s unhealthy habits. For example, children who eat fast food on a daily basis commonly can suffer from a range of health issues, such as weight problems and obesity. These diseases can be prevented if people are made more aware of the severe consequences of an unhealthy diet. In addition, there are a number of incurable diseases, such as HIV, AIDS and many forms of cancer. Of course, there are drugs and treatments that can prolong the life of patients suffering from such diseases, but the better solution in this case is obviously trying to prevent these diseases from occurring, instead of trying to cure them, which can often place a heavy burden on patients’ families, and on society as a whole.

On the other hand, the treatment for people who are already ill should also receive adequate funding, due to the fact that some diseases simply cannot be prevented. People living in many tropical or coastal regions, for example, are highly vulnerable to water-borne diseases after a natural disaster such as a tsunami or heavy flooding. Additionally, there are also some illnesses and disorders that are inherited. For instance, if a person suffers from asthma, it is highly likely that his children will also contract respiratory related diseases, regardless of their diet or lifestyle. These mentioned cases would be almost impossible for people or the government to prevent, and therefore money needs to be spent on the treatment of patients.

In conclusion, both promoting a healthy lifestyle and spending money on the treatment of people who are already ill are equally important in the fight against diseases, and each country should develop flexible plans to adapt to different situations. (359 words)

Vocabulary

• To fight something (problems or issues)
• To encourage/promote a healthy lifestyle
• To place a heavy burden on patients’ families
• Adequate (adj)
• To be vulnerable to something
• Waterborne diseases (n)
• Inherited (adj)
• To contract a disease