The Public Health Problems in the Development Country: Taiwan as a Case Study

開發中國家的公共衛生問題：以台灣作爲個案從社會、政治、經濟層面加以探討

陳永興(Yong-Shing Chen)

《中華民國公共衛生學會雜誌》 6卷3期 (1987/02) Pp. 15-28

https://doi.org/10.6288/JNPHARC1986-06-03-02

摘要

公共衛生的目標是什麼呢？如果我們贊同公共衛生的目標是要改善眾人的健康、促進整個社會裹頭集體大眾的健康狀況，那麼公共衛生就必然要和社會、政治、經濟各方面的因素發生關係。因爲公共衛生不只是疾病和醫療照顯的問題而已，公共衛生事實上和人口、生產量、酈民所得、教育程度、工作、住宅、糧食、欽水、環境再染、生活方式、醫療制度、社會福利等等夠素都有密切的關係。我們可以說要了解或改善公共衛生的問題，必須從社會、政治、經濟方面有關的因素加以研究，所以本文嘗試從這樣的觀點來探討開發中國家的公共衛生問題，尤其是以台灣作爲個案來給予分析。
所有的開發中國家都必須接受極大的挑戰去面對複雜的公共衛生問題，因爲在很快速的不同開發階段，都有不斷出現的社會、政治、經濟困難等著要解決。而且每個國家有他的特殊性，有時相同的社會裹頭在不同的地區、時間、族群也可能出現不同的特殊問題。譬如在開發中國家來說，台灣的“經濟奇蹟”是非常有名的，然而在經濟發展過程中，大量的人口增加和快速的工業化、都市化，也同時伴隨著公共衛生問題的出現。事實上台灣在過去四十年的開發過程中，公共衛生問題的變化和累積也到了相當嚴重，值得我們加以注意的程度。本文分析台灣目前所面臨挑戰的公共衛生問題時，分成以下六大項目：(1)人口問題(2)環境問題(3)疾病防治問題(4)食品、藥物和毒性物質處理問題(5)精神衛生問題(6)健康服務問題。
本文的主要觀點是以“公共衛生和人權”貫穿問題的本質。結論中提到聯台國世界衛生組織的呼籲：“公元二○○○年時希望全人類都得到健康”，事實上開發中國家要達到這樣的理想還必須做很大的努力去接受面臨的挑戰。公共衛生問題的改善就是人權問題的改善，也是社會、政治、經濟問題的改善。

並列摘要

In the developing countries, Taiwan is famous for its ”economic miracle”. During the developing process of high population growth and fast industrial development, there is also dilemma between economic progress and public health problems. Since public health problems are basically engendered from the socio-political-economic roots of the social structure, this paper analyzes the underlying background of socio-political-economic situation of Taiwan for approaching its public health problems.
There is a very great challenge for the developing countries to face their complicated public health problems engendered at different developing stages in a relatively short period. In fact, the socio-political-economic change in Taiwan in the past 40 years has been so big and fast that some public health problems are now very critical which need our attention today. And current challenge of public health problems in Taiwan is discussed in this paper from the below categories: (1) population problems, (2) enviromental problems, (3) disease prevention problems, (4) food, drug, and toxic substance problems, (5) mental health problems, (6) health service problems.
This paper gives the concepts of ”Human Right and Public Health” as its conclusion. From the concepts, we know that there are still many challenges and struggles in the developing countries for the dream of ”health for all”. And we also know that all the problems of public health are also problems of human right as well as problems of socio-political-economic reform.