21st International Conference on Health Promoting Hospitals and Health Services, 22-24 May, Gotteborg, Sweden

Our respectable partner, the International Network of Health Promoting Hospitals and Health Services will hold its 21st International Conference "Towards a more health oriented health service: An issue of body and mind. The contribution of HPH to Health 2020" on 22-24 May in Gotteborg, Sweden.

Scope and Purpose For the program of the 21st International Conference on Health Promoting Hospitals and Health Services (HPH) in May 2013, the Scientific Committee decided to focus on approaches and tools to develop more health oriented health services. This selection was made for two reasons: First, the conference will mark the 20th anniversary of the European Pilot Hospital Project of Health Promoting Hospitals (EPHP). This project came to life in 1993 with the aim to make the WHO Ottawa Charters’ demand to “reorient health services” a reality for hospitals. This endeavor was taken up with regard to positive health, a comprehensive health orientation that refers to body and mind alike, and a stronger contribution of health services towards public health. In light of today’s NCD epidemic, the increasing inequity in health, and new health threats such as climate change, this reorientation is stronger needed than ever before. This need is also reflected in WHO-Euro’s new health policy paper Health 2020 which demands to strengthen person-centred health systems and public health services alike. Second, after 1995, the HPH conference 2013 will be the second one hosted by the Swedish HPH network. The 2013 conference will take further discussions on health gain measurement and related topics that were initiated earlier on. Top international speakers and experts and experienced HPH practitioners will come together to discuss specifically the following topics:

For more information and submission of abstracts, please, visit:
http://www.hphconferences.org/gothenburg2013.html

Upcoming event: Inauguration of the new Seat of the SEE Health Network Secretariat

In a week time from now, e.g. on the 7th of March 2013 the new Seat of the Secretariat of the SEE Health Network will be inaugurated in Skopje, Republic of Macedonia.

The official launch will happen under the auspices of the Prime-Minister of the country and in the presence of the WHO  Regional Director for Europeand the current President of the Network, the Minister of Health of the Republic of Moldova!

This event is a major breakthrough and milestone in the SEE Health Network history and development! The new Secretariat will be the backbone and foundation for sustaining the SEE Health Network and the examplary regional cooperation for public health, peace and economic development in this region of Europe.

Our gratitute and appreciation goes to the Government of the Republic of Macedonia for keeping to its commitment in line with the signed Memorandum of Understanding and Host Agreement.

The SEE Health Network sincerely thanks WHO Regional Office for Europe for its never-failing and continuous political, technical, managerial and financial support since its commencment in 2001.

Many more partner organizations are to be commented too. Special thanks go to the Council of Europe, the Council of Europe Development Bank, the European Commission, IOM, EuroHealthNet, the International Network of Health Promoting Hospitals and Health Services, the Nordern Dimension Partnership for Public Health and Social Well-being, Project "Hope", the Regional Cooperation Council the successor of the Stability Pact for SEE.

We are extremely grateful to our partner countries, and particularly now to Belgium, Slovenia and Switzerland who, despite the difficult financial times and austerity measures, continued to provide their support!

The event will be attended by SEE Member States´ health delegations, National Health Coordinators, Ambassadors and important partners!

We will keep you informed of the event and its proceedings!

More to come soon!

To recall the path:

Dubrovnik, 2001! First Health Ministers Forum!
The signatories to the Dubrovnik Pledge on launching the regional cooperation for improving the health of the voulnerable populations in the SEE region:

Skopje, 2005! Second Health Ministers Forum!
The signatories of the Skopje Pledge on Health and Health Systems for Economic Development in SEE:

Banja Luka, 2011! Third Health Ministers Forum!
The signatories of the Banja LUka  Pledge on Health in All Policies in SEE: A Shared Role and Responsibility:

Second issue of the SEE Health Network Newsletter on Mental Health

The SEE Health Network Regional Development Centre for Mental Health, established two years ago at the Ministry of Civil Affairs of Bosnja and Hercegovina in line with the SEE Health Network Memorandum of Understanding, has just published the seond edition of its Newsletter "Healthy mind, healthy Community".

In his introductory article  Mr. Sredoje Novic, MA, Minister of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, points out that:

" ... The mental health reform is ongoing in the SEEHN member countries. Although the progress in this area is considerable, mental health issues are still increasing and have a significant influence on the development of health and social systems and economies.

   Therefore, a comprehensive and coordinated approach to the issue of mental health is necessary, what was recognized by the World Health Assembly that adopted the solution on Mental Health in May 2012. In this document the Member States expressed comittment to "promotion of mental health, prevention of mental disorders, and early identification, care, support, treatment and recovery of person with mental disorders.
...

   The strong regional cooperation among the countries of the SEE Health Network and their partners provides the opportunity to face the challenges together on this journey and to pursue this goal - improving mental health and wellbeing of the population of South Eastern Europe".

 

To learn more about the regional and national developments in all the 10 SEEHN Member States in the field of mental health please visit the website of the SEEHN Regional Health Development Centre for Mental Health at the following link:

 

http://www.mcp.gov.ba/org_jedinice/sektor_zdravstvo/regionalni_centar/Default.aspx?langTag=en-US

Health Policy Paper Series No. 8: Analysis of public health operations, services and activities in the Republic of Moldova

WHO Regional Office for Europe and the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Moldova have just published the "Analysis of Public Health Operations, Services and Activities.

"The public health system in Republic of Moldova has undergone various reforms since 1992, as a part of wider health sector reform. The inherited sanitary-epidemiological services were transformed into a broader public health service. Reorganization of the public health system will continue in the coming years, both at national and regional levels, in order to strengthen the institutional framework, building a system that can address and respond to both communicable and noncommunicable diseases.
 

To evaluate the current public health services and activities and to make recommendations for strengthening their capacities, an overall assessment was carried out during 2011–2012, using the WHO  European Region self-assessment tool. This report presents the results of that assessment of Moldovan public health services, carried out as a joint effort of the WHO Regional Office for Europe, the WHO Country Office in Moldova, the Moldovan Ministry of Health,the National Centre of Public Health, and representatives of Centres of Public Health and health institutions within the country.

The report addresses the major challenges in the health sector, including demographics, the low level of public health service financing, and the significant burden of noncommunicable diseases and social and health inequalities. It also argues in favour of promoting public health governance and a “Health in all policies” approach through multi- and intersectoral collaboration, including the coordination of public health activities within the health sector and beyond it.

The main conclusions and recommendations of the report will serve as a base for the development of the National Public Health Strategy 2013–2020, a policy document for effective interventions to reduce health inequalities and improve population health.

Find the full publication at:

http://www.euro.who.int/en/where-we-work/member-states/republic-of-moldova/publications2/health-policy-paper-series-no.-8-analysis-of-public-health-operations,-services-and-activities-in-the-republic-of-moldova

Some more interesting OCH reading from WHO Head Quarters

WHO GOHNET Newsletter Number 20 - January 2013 could be read at:

http://www.who.int/occupational_health/publications/newsletter/gohnet_newsletter_20/en/index.html#.URzR-Qb7xdU.facebook

WHO draft action plan for NCDs covers also some occupational health aspects

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Dr. Ivan Dimov Ivanov, WHO Head Quarters,  shared a link:

The WHO draft action plan for NCDs covers also some occupational health aspects of noncommunicable diseases, such as healthy workplaces, occupational and work-related noncommunicable diseases, and linking occupational health services to primary care. See below link to the WHO invitation for comments:

WHO | Third round of informal consultations on the development of a WHO global action plan for the prevention of NCDs
http://www.who.int/nmh/events/2013/consultation_201303012/en/index.html#.URzTZM0qkBE.facebook
www.who.int

New report on access to health care services in Moldova available now to facilitate further discussions ...

WHO/Europe | Barriers and facilitating factors in access to health services in the Republic of Moldova

A new publication, posted by the WHO Representative and Head of country Office, Dr. Jarno Habicht:

 

"In the context of global efforts to move towards universal coverage in health systems, this report identifies barriers and facilitating factors in accessing health services in the Republic of Moldova. The study looks in particular at how the population’s access to health services has been affected by the recent efforts (2009–2011) to extend health services coverage"

www.euro.who.int
WHO/Europe, 2012: Health Policy Paper Series No. 9.

http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0018/183510/e96775-final.pdf