MY wife, Farida, and some medical colleagues have just returned from our 13-day Discover The Canaries cruise (Spain, Portugal, and the Canary Islands) aboard the Independence of the Seas of the Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. This cruise was actually a board meeting on the Ocean of the Council of Past Presidents (COPP) of the Society of Philippine Surgeons in America (SPSA), of which I am the current chairman.
The SPSA-COPP, in cooperation with the Philippine College of Surgeons in the Philippines, has established a rural surgical outreach program, which provides a surgeon and an anesthesiologist in rural areas in the country where there are none. This project renders free surgical care to area residents, who, otherwise, will have to travel to distant cities, a “feat” the poor people cannot afford, much less pay for the surgery.
While on this cruise, I explored the healthcare system of Spain, Portugal and the autonomous Canary Islands of Spain.
The healthcare system in these two countries and the Canary Islands is called the Sistema Nacional de Salud (SNS), a comprehensive, universal, publicly-funded program for all residents of Spain, regardless of their ability to pay. No out-of-pocket expense. Drugs are not included.
The SNS is funded by taxes and social security contribution. In spite of this access to good quality healthcare, which is a “constitutional right” in these countries, the health status of the people is described as “moderate,” since alcoholism among more than a third of the youth and the air pollution are causing the mortality rate to be 9.7 deaths per 1,000 people, compared to about 7.5 in the United States and 6.2 in the Philippines.
We have secured the permission from CasinooftheKings to provide our readers the following findings of its study on the healthiest young people in countries around the world:
• Belgium is the country with the healthiest young people, with a strong life expectancy
and low youth smoking rates.
• Youth smoking and alcohol consumption rates are particularly low in Turkey, despite
high mortality from air pollution.
• Countries like Finland and Singapore show great youth health outcomes, though differing
in factors like alcohol consumption.
The rise of illnesses and infectious diseases across the world, like a 13% rise in tuberculosis cases in the UK, highlights the importance of strong healthcare systems and overall generational health. A recent study by CasinooftheKings ranked the top ten countries with the healthiest young people. This analysis measures factors like life expectancy, healthcare index, smoking and alcohol rates, and mortality from
environmental risks. Scores were assigned based on these metrics, with normalization for factors like mortality per 100K to provide an objective comparison.
Here is the summary of the findings:
Belgium ranks first with a score of 86.10. The country’s young people benefit from a life expectancy of 82.27 years, a strong healthcare index of 75.60, and low youth smoking at 11.10% and alcohol consumption at 7.40%. Despite challenges from moderate air pollution mortality of 15.3 per 100K people, Belgium’s youth health outcomes remain among the best.
Israel comes in second with a score of 82.77. Young people in Israel enjoy an overall healthcare index of 73.30. While the youth smoking rate (13.70%) is slightly higher than Belgium’s, Israel’s environmental health indicators, particularly in air pollution mortality at 15.1, are still relatively favorable.
Turkey is in third place, earning a score of 81.38. Despite facing a higher mortality rate from air pollution at 45.3, Turkey stands out for just 7.80% of its youth smoking and 3.4% consuming alcohol. These healthier habits give Turkey an edge in youth health despite environmental challenges.
Norway is the fourth country with the healthiest young people, scoring 80.29. The country has a high life expectancy of 83.46 years, but its youth face the highest alcohol consumption rate in the study at 46.40%, impacting overall health. However, the country has strong environmental measures, with air pollution and sanitation risks staying low.
Finland occupies the fifth position with a score of 77.85. Finnish people enjoy a life expectancy of 82 years, but the high youth alcohol rate of 45% affects their health score. Nonetheless, Finland benefits from a low mortality rate due to safe water and good air quality.
Singapore comes in sixth as one of the countries with the healthiest young people, with a score of 77.53. The country’s life expectancy is one of the highest at 83.86 years, but its youth health is limited by high alcohol consumption at 47.10% and a relatively low percentage of young people in good health at 78.50%.
Estonia follows in seventh with a score of 77.16. The country has a life expectancy of 79.31 years, with the youth smoking rate of 14.10% and alcohol consumption at 15% remaining low, compared to other countries in the list. While having lower mortality rates from environmental factors, these lifestyle choices contribute to Estonia’s position in the middle of the rankings.
Spain is in eighth place with a score of 76.78. 91% of Spanish youth are in good health. However, the country faces challenges with youth alcohol consumption reaching 32.30% and a moderate mortality rate due to air pollution.
New Zealand is ninth with a score of 76.66. With a life expectancy of 82.25 years and one of the highest percentages of youth in good health at 96.50%, New Zealand excels in these areas. Still, the country faces the highest youth alcohol rate at 50.90% in the study.
Australia rounds out the top ten of the countries with the healthiest young people, with a score of 76.25. Despite having the highest life expectancy of 84.07 years, Australia struggles with high youth smoking rates at 11.10% and alcohol consumption rates at 31%. Environmental mortality rates are relatively low, but lifestyle factors hinder Australia’s overall youth health standing.
Since the youth is the future of a country, a healthy youth is a prime and quintessential element to a healthy, productive, progressive, and a happy nation. From any perspective, health is wealth. Actually, priceless!
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The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.
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Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, a Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus based in Northwest Indiana and Las Vegas, Nevada, is an international medical lecturer, an author (books on Amazon.com), health advocate, medical missionary, newspaper columnist, and chairman of the Filipino United Network-USA, a 501(c)3 humanitarian
foundation in the United States. He is a recipient of the Indiana Sagamore of the Wabash Award in 1995, presented by then Indiana Governor, U.S. senator, and later a presidential candidate, Evan Bayh. Other Sagamore past awardees include President Harry S. Truman, President George HW Bush, Astronaut Gus Grissom, pugilist Muhammad Ali, David Letterman, distinguished educators, scientists, etc. (Wikipedia). Websites: FUN8888.com, Today.SPSAtoday.com, and philipSchua.com; Email: scalpelpen@gmail.com.
