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Trimming the Cost of Healthcare: The Unsung Role of the Nail Cutter”
A Nail Cutter can contribute to significant savings in health care costs by reducing the spread of communicable diseases.
(Co-author Dr. C.J. Akash Kumar, M.B.B.S.)
Personal hygiene, which includes regularly cutting nails, is critical in preventing various communicable diseases. Thus a nail cutter can significantly reduce disease burden, next only to handwashing, especially in developing countries like India.
Communicable diseases pose a substantial challenge to the public health system in India. India allocated Rs. 86,175 Cr( $10.77) Billion for public health care. Despite spending significant amounts of money on rural communicable diseases, the burden of communicable and infectious diseases remains at 27.5% for three decades in India.
Major Infectious Diseases can be transmitted through nails.
- Diarrheal Diseases: These are among the leading causes of death in children under five worldwide. In India, millions of cases of diarrheal disease occur annually, contributing to a substantial disease burden.
- Respiratory Infections: Hand hygiene is vital in preventing the spread of respiratory infections like the common cold, influenza, and other respiratory viruses.
3. Soil-Transmitted Helminths: These are a type of intestinal worm infection that is very common in areas with poor sanitation and hygiene. Regular nail trimming and cleaning can help prevent these infections.
4. Skin Infections: Unclean and long nails can lead to several skin infections like scabies, impetigo, and fungal infections.
Therefore, public health measures implemented in India should provide a simple tool — A nail Cutter, to fight communicable diseases. This action can achieve a very significant reduction in the communicable disease burden. It should be a part of comprehensive personal hygiene practices — hand-washing, clean water supply, sanitation practices, and health education.
A nail cutter in a family can help maintain healthy nails for a few years. Every rupee spent on nail cutters can give several hundreds of rupees a return on investment (R.O.I.) over the years!
