What is public health?

At the time of the formation of the World Health Organization in 1946, one of its first achievements was to create a brilliant new definition of health: “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”1 This definition has lasted 7 decades without modification as it reflects the multidimensional nature of health. If it has a fault, it lies in its idealism; a “complete state of health” will not achievable on our planet in the foreseeable future. The mission of public health is therefore to achieve an equitable distribution of health for the total population. Specific definitions of public health include the following: The American Public Health Association states “Public health promotes and protects the health of people and the communities where they live, learn, work and play.”2 The Public Health Association of Australia discusses its role in the following way: “Public health includes, but goes beyond the treatment of individuals to encompass health promotion, prevention of disease and disability, recovery and rehabilitation, and disability support.” This framework, together with attention to the social, economic and environmental determinants of health, provides particular relevance to, and expertly informs the Association’s role.3 The Asia-Pacific Academic Consortium for Public Health (APACPH) has a