The »health« of Andrija Štampar and »cheerful health« of grandfather Andrija Prlić

Abstract

According to Štampar’s definition, health is an ideal to strive for, from a global to an individual level. The author, who worked as a rural field physician, discusses how he became aware of the limitations of his work and the importance of the involvement of other individuals and the community, in line with Štampar’s principles. In the real world, Štampar’s ideal is unattainable without cooperation between the individual and the community. An individual can work on their physical health (living and eating healthily, exercising, resting) within a genetically defined range (reaction norm), while the quality of the environment (air, water, climatic conditions, noise, light pollution) depends on broader community intervention. Therefore, in 1978, the Declaration of Alma-Ata was adopted at the International Conference on Primary Health Care. Its introduction highlights Štampar’s definition of health and affirms that health, as a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, is a fundamental human right. It also asserts that achieving the highest possible level of health is the most important global social goal, the realisation of which requires action not only from the healthcare sector but also from many other social and economic sectors. In September 2012, the European Office of the World Health Organization adopted a new strategy called ‘Health 2020: A European Policy Framework and Strategy for the 21st Century,’ aimed at improving health for all and reducing health inequalities through better leadership and governance. This Declaration and strategy made the goal concrete, down-to-earth, and achievable. Accordingly, based on a case study, the presentation demonstrates how the concept of health in Štampar’s sense can be achieved on a personal level, portraying an individual who, by practicing the ideas of health and hygiene in the spirit of Andrija Štampar, lived to be 106 years old.