Introduction
Role of law in public health cannot be undermined. Both Law and public health are interlinked. Public health aims at maintaining the health of the population at large. It has been seen that law has played an important role in public health victories such as removal of lead from gasoline, reduction of mortality rates, smoking etc. Furthermore, law also aims at prevention of social chaos by several prescribed standards for clean water, social security, children’s health, health’s standard at the workplace etc. However, law cannot always be considered as a friend to public health. Such discussion plays an important role in law colleges in coochbehar and other areas.
Law and Public Health
There were many instances where public health has received enormous victories over the legislation. For instance, the non-validation of the AMA-backed bill shows how any bill that affects public health can take away the power of legislation. The bill has given enormous power to the doctors and the medical societies to fix the prices of the medicine. In this connection the relationship between the lawyers and public health professionals is one of a kind. The role of public health professionals and environmental lawyers are inseparable. These professionals have the duty to look into the community or family by looking beyond the operating room and individual. It has also been noted that many environmentalists began the struggle of protecting the environment as a part of the public health department. There are many environmental laws that protect public health. For instance, The Clean Air Act, mandates that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) establishment of ambient air quality standards by “allowing an adequate margin of safety requisite to protect the public health”.
Limitation
However, some cutting-edge concepts are pushing the envelope as well as building new links between the two fields. For instance, pro-Proponents of “ecological economics” say that individuals should not be forced to make decisions that are harmful to the environment. They are not seen as distinct from their ecosystems, but rather as fundamental components of them. Despite the fact that economic interactions are important, the economy must be seen as a whole. All kinds of life are a part of larger ecological systems.
Public Health and other related asoects
Public health is not an isolated concept. There are several characteristics of it. One of the characteristics is the government. Despite the fact that private bodies have an important role, the role of the government cannot be undermined under the principles of democracy. Second characteristic of public health is the role of the population. The importance and values of the population needs to be emphasized in the context of public health. The third characteristic is the strong relationship between the state and the population. It is to be noted that less importance must be given to the relationship between individual and health. The fourth and final characteristic of public health is the role of public health authorities in sanctioning guidelines to the individual for the protection of the community. Public health law must define the missions, visions and the essential services of the public health agencies.
Conclusion
Therefore, to summarize, public health can only be attained by collaborative activity rather than individual effort. Individuals can buy medical services, a house, and many other requirements of life if they have enough money, but only a community as a whole has a stake in the environment, sanitation, clean air, safe drinking water, safe roads and automobiles, and a reduction in socioeconomic and racial inequities. Such aspects needs to be spread among the society. Therefore, Law Colleges in Cooch Behar and other areas have taken initiative in spreading the legal education with respect to public health via seminars and academic programmes.
