The primary roles of Public Health include the following EXCEPT:

• A. Preventing disease
• B. Prolonging health
• C. Prescribing medicine
• D. Prolonging life

Answer: (C)

Public health focuses on protecting and improving the health of populations through prevention, health promotion, and reducing mortality. It achieves this through strategies like vaccination programs, sanitation, disease surveillance, and health education, all aimed at preventing illness and keeping communities healthy.

Preventing disease is a core public health activity because it stops health problems before they arise, benefiting many people at once. Prolonging health fits with promoting healthier lifestyles and reducing risk factors so people stay well longer. Prolonging life is about lowering deaths and extending life expectancy through broad, population-wide measures.

Prescribing medicine, however, is a clinical responsibility performed by individual healthcare providers for specific patients. Public health may influence medicine use through guidelines or access initiatives, but it does not typically involve the actual act of prescribing. That’s why prescribing medicine is not considered a primary public health role.