Suppose someone gave you a hundred million naira, as a gift? Now, imagine that you are offered the chance to make a sound, sure proof investment with that money that will yield another hundred million naira.
Sounds like everyone’s dream right? Would you take the offer? Surely that’s a no-brainer – of course we’d all jump at the offer!
You already have that gift – it’s called life. It is priceless, worth way more than a hundred million naira! You can take ownership of this gift by not being careless with your health and investing wisely through preventive health care. The goal of preventive health care is to help you live a healthier and happier life by improving your health and preventing disease.
Times are tough for just about everybody right now. There are so many financial responsibilities and obligations that your already tight budget cannot manage. There’s a reason though that the expression “health is wealth” exists. Making the time and setting aside the funds for well doctor visits for you and your children are worthy investments that will pay off in the long run. The alternative is what most of us practice now – expensive curative care – where we see the doctor only when we’re really sick. The problem with this kind of health care is that it doesn’t give you the tools to prevent future illness. It also places you in a situation where you have to pay the doctor and hospital when you can ill afford it but have no choice.
Adults
Regular well-care doctor visits make it easier to detect diseases like hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, and even certain types of cancer early when they are easy to treat and before they lead to serious complications. It’s a good idea to see your doctor when you’re well at least once a year for a thorough examination, any necessary preventive health screenings, and tests. A good time to schedule one is around the time of your birthday. During your well-care visit, you and your doctor will discuss various ways to improve your overall health and prevent disease.
Children
For your children, regularly scheduled checkups, often called well-child visits, should begin shortly after birth and continue through the teen years. These visits allow the doctor to keep a close eye on your child’s general health, growth and development. Finding possible problems early gives your child the best chance for proper and successful treatment. Also, any concerns you have about your child can be discussed during these visits. Well-child visits are also an opportunity to ensure that vaccinations are up to date and are given to the child if necessary.
Make the sacrifice now and include well care visits for the whole family in your budget. It’s way more important than some of the other things we spend money and time on such as clothes, jewelry, cars and parties.
