When candidates, officials have health issues, voters deserve to know about recovery, risk, ability to serve, and how one’s health is affected by office work. While candidates may address these topics, the time they spend in office may not always fully reflect their full health condition.
In the spring of 2013, I published a follow-up article on the health of candidates running for office in Georgia.1 This time, I wanted to examine the health of these candidates from a public health perspective. Specifically, my intent was to address the problem of what I called “health by accident” in which a candidate, who for whatever reason, may have been given an assignment to make a risky decision related to public health.
In the following weeks, I received a number of responses to my original article. The public health approach provides a better lens on both the public’s health and the public’s government. And the public should have full access to these types of health information, especially while we are choosing public officials.
The purpose of this article is to offer a tool for public health and politicians to use to better understand their health. To do this, it will review what public health and the U.S. Government’s Food and Drug Administration have to say on the topic and then, it will offer some potential policy options.
What the Government and Public Health Tell You
The U.S. Government’s Food and Drug Administration has a long-standing position on health by accident. It is a position that I consider to be a critical part of public health.
The FDA, which is not a governmental body or other governmental agency, does not regulate health and safety. It is specifically not licensed in medicine or other health fields. Instead, the FDA is recognized by the World Health Organization’s International Conference on Harmonization as an organ of U.S. government, which means that the organization is recognized by foreign governments that have an interest in making certain legal decisions in a certain area.
The FDA works to ensure that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s drug, cosmetics and tobacco products are safe and effective to meet the consumer needs. In order to accomplish this goal, the FDA has five responsibilities:
To ensure the safety and efficacy of drugs.
To protect consumers and the public.
To prevent fraud or abuse of the drug, cosmetics or tobacco products.