Is biomedical model out of date Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Is biomedical model out of date - Essay Example It is based on 'the notion of the body as a machine, of disease as the consequence of breakdown of the machine, and of the doctor's task as repair of the machine.' (George Engel 1977). This approach has a serious shortcoming because by focusing on smaller parts of the body we lose the sight of patient as a human being. Also by considering health as proper functioning of organs, we are unable to deal with the phenomenon of healing as it is not only based on physical factors but on psychological factors of the human body. The concept of health and the concept of life are closely related. Around the globe, people follow different cultures and lifestyles. They are adapted to the different environment and slight change in the environment may lead to change in their health. Patterns of mortality and morbidity have changed shifting from a predominance of acute infectious diseases to a predominance of chronic and lifestyle-induced illness (US. Department of Health, Education and Welfare 1979 ). So here the ecological dimension is also considered while considering the concept of health. This contradicts the biomedical model.In the biomedical model, health is defined as the absence of disease. The World Health Organization defines health as ‘a dynamic state of complete physical, mental, spiritual and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity’. This clearly shows that the biomedical model fails to address the social and psychological issues and thus can be considered to be outdated.

What is the role of the UN in the world today and what role should it Essay

What is the role of the UN in the world today and what role should it play in the future - Essay Example 335-60). United Nations is also working for regulating international commerce, compiling data and delivering services. UN had established UNICEF. Women of child-bearing age and children are benefited with the help of UNICEF in more than 100 countries (Arnold, 1995, p. 47) Another most important role the UN playing since its creation and nowadays is to maintain peace worldwide. For this purpose, the United Nations has directed 17 interventions whose function is to form peace keeping forces. These peace keeping forces are formed with the help of different nations that are member of United Nations. The purpose of these peace keeping operations is to reduce the strain that the United Nations had to face in the form of cost of several hundred million dollars a year to spend during the Cold War. Peace keeping operations are in progress to maintain peace in all nations (Barnett, 1995, p. 79-97). The future role of United Nations will be to meet different needs such as security, politics and economic needs of the international community. This role will make sure that the United Nations and its programs, to improve health, peace and other conditions in all nations, are working properly (Beigbeder, 1987, p. 174). New challenges will be met with the help of upgraded management systems and program delivery. United Nations will also establish several services that will improve accountability of management and financial sectors of all nations. It will also make sure that all the spending for the development of different programs, departments and agencies are cost effective. To achieve success in all the future plans, the United Nations will have to develop a clear road map (Boutros-Ghali, 1992/1993, p. 89-102). The programs that had been proven highly effective in the past now seem less important and less effective. This is so because implementation of