IELTS Writing Task 2 Opinion Essay Topic: Prevention is better than cure

“Prevention is better than cure.” Out of a country’s health budget, a large proportion should be diverted from treatment to spending on health education and preventative measures.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Preventive healthcare is slowly gaining importance. The average life expectancy rate has come down, which has initiated a probe into this domain. Also, people from all over the world are urging their governments to allocate a considerable amount towards health education and preventive mechanisms. I welcome this outlook whole-heartedly. In the forthcoming paragraphs, I shall elaborate on the importance of creating awareness of health.

Recent surveys have confirmed that many deaths due to smoking could have been prevented by proper health education. Many teenagers get addicted to drugs, which leads to many terminal diseases and finally, death. This could be prevented by organising campaigns on health and making them aware of the ill-effects of drugs. Another leading causative factor in death is diabetes. The numbers furnished by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) are scary. Untreated diabetes leads to kidney failure. So the government has to protect people by educating them on lifestyle and conduct periodic health checks for free. 

The governments have to do a comparative study on the money spent on buying expensive pieces of machinery for treatment to the money spent on preventive healthcare. The latter is more economical. The amount of money spent by an individual for treatment after the onset of the disease is very high. So the budget for preventive healthcare helps to improve the economy at the individual level. Healthy citizens will be more productive and contribute to the nation’s development. A classic example is the introduction of pediatric vaccines which have increased the mortality rates of children. Considering the success rates, it is worth investing in preventive operations.

Although, some people argue that it is an overload on the budget, it has to be implemented considering the long-term benefits.

In summary, governments should invest in preventive health care with a vision of creating a healthy world. Though we may not see immediate results, it would benefit future generations.