Intended for healthcare professionals

Rapid response to:

Editorials

How should health be defined?

BMJ 2008; 337 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.a2900 (Published 10 December 2008) Cite this as: BMJ 2008;337:a2900

Rapid Response:

Re: How should health be defined?

A person who is healthy is a person who...

...has (right) absolute value to guide his/her discernment in life;
- so that he/she always has sound principle for decision in the face of life uncertainty.(spiritual intelligence)

...do his best in all his/her undertakings;
- achieving personal best potential and be able to take care of self and others. (will and cognitive intelligence)

...think of others when carry on with his/her own life;
- he/she is a prosocial, peacemaker and leader. (emotional intelligence)

...knows how to leave this world; life-purpose knew and achieved.
- so that he/she is always hopeful and not despair. (spiritual intelligence)

Isn't this everyone desires?

Competing interests: No competing interests

07 January 2012
Boon How Chew
family physician and lecturer in family medicine
Universiti Putra Malaysia
Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences