Ευρωπαϊκή Εταιρεία Δημόσιας Υγείας
22-26 May 2023
Public health: Global issues, local actions
The European Public Health Week (EUPHW) aims to raise awareness about public health and promote collaboration among the public health community in Europe. It is an initiative that began in 2019. The next European Public Health Week’s theme is titled ‘Public health: Global issues, local actions’ and addresses everything that affects you throughout your life. (EUPHA)
Η Ευρωπαϊκή Εβδομάδα Δημόσιας Υγείας (EUPHW) έχει ως στόχο:
- Υποστηρίξτε τη δημόσια υγεία και μια κοινωνία χωρίς αποκλεισμούς σε όλη την Ευρώπη
- Αύξηση της ευαισθητοποίησης και ενίσχυση των υφιστάμενων μηνυμάτων για πέντε συγκεκριμένα θέματα δημόσιας υγείας,
σύμφωνα με τους βασικούς οργανισμούς σε ευρωπαϊκό επίπεδο - Δημιουργία εμπιστοσύνης και καινοτόμων τρόπων συνεργασίας μεταξύ όλων των επαγγελματιών
συμβολή στη δημόσια υγεία σε τοπικό, εθνικό, περιφερειακό και ευρωπαϊκό επίπεδο
επίπεδο.
Ημερήσια θέματα
The principle of equality is a central topic on the agenda in public health. The very word equality implies that differences exist, and that our populations are diverse. How do we embrace this diversity amongst patients and provide appropriate care for everyone? Special attention should be given to vulnerable groups and representation should always be kept in mind, for example in decision-making bodies. What action can be taken in health leadership to accommodate diversity in health?
The principle of equality is a central topic on the agenda in public health. The very word equality implies that differences exist, and that our populations are diverse. How do we embrace this diversity amongst patients and provide appropriate care for everyone? Special attention should be given to vulnerable groups and representation should always be kept in mind, for example in decision-making bodies. What action can be taken in health leadership to accommodate diversity in health?
Providing access to care to all is a challenge and a priority. Removing obstacles such as financial, geographical and waitlist barriers is key here. Ultimately, it would allow all countries of the European Region to reach the goal of offering Universal Health Coverage (UHC). Digital health can play an important role in improving access, but must be considered through the lens of ethics and equality to ensure no one is left behind. Finally, integrating health services across disciplines and sectors (e.g., integrating mental health services with educational services) is an important tool for improving access to care for all.
Striving towards a healthy society requires further action to tackle the determinants of chronic or non communicable diseases (NCDs). As we know that many of them are caused by the same common risk factors, prevention remains a highly efficient way to tackle the issue. In addition, as our populations are ageing, we must accept and prepare our systems for people who are going to live with NCDs and often multi morbidity, which demands a different angle of care. Among NCDs, cancers are a major source of concern and require specific interventions and policies to decrease the overall burden of disease. Long COVID seems to also add considerably to the burden of chronic disease. Much is to be learned yet about the condition itself and how to best treat it.
The past years have taught us we were not ready for a pandemic: we have to build back better and have solid plans for new global health emergencies and responses. These go beyond threats caused by infectious diseases: we only need to look out of the window to see the effects of climate change and extreme weather events. We can only solve global health emergencies by working cross-border, in an international arena. It requires national dedication, engagement and investment, but international coordination. A threat we need to be particularly prepared for is the Antimicrobial Resistance, listed by the WHO as one of the top 10 global public health threats facing humanity. Because AMR touches upon many sectors and because of increased market exchanges across countries, AMR can only be solved by a one health approach and strategies coordinated on all levels – national, regional, and global – as AMR spreads across borders and species.
