The contribution
of public health to national development
Findings
from an introductory workshop with Hungarian stakeholders.
Report author: Professor Jonathan Watson PhD, CCL Associates
health development & research and
Universities of Nottingham and York
jonathan.watson@nottingham.ac.uk
With assistance
from: Zsolt Mogyorósy MD, Ministry of Finance, Hungary
Paul Butcher MBA, M.Sc. Calderdale and Kirklees Health Authority,
UK
Margit Ohr MPH, National Centre for Health Promotion Development,
Hungary
Draft report
date: 9 September 2001
Summary
of workshop report
Current
trends in economic growth, population decline and population health
status in Hungary, combined with preparations for EU Accession provide
a strong rationale and necessity to explore and try out the potential
of intersectoral development agendas and programmes that promote economic
growth, social stability and health improvement.
Key findings
- Agreement on the
need to build understanding within policy-making circles and other
key stakeholders around the relationship between economic growth,
reducing social inequalities, improvements to the environment,
and health development
- Recognition of the
need to for partnerships and collaboration among a wider range
of stakeholders in order to integrate health, social and economic
development agendas and action
- Concern that despite
overwhelming evidence, a majority of the public and policy-makers
think that health improvement comes through health care
sector expenditure
- Perception that public
health action has been constrained by a need for short-term delivery
and lack of investment in developing capacity to deliver
- Understanding that
development options need to consider the regulatory nature of
public administration in Hungary.
Development options
Development options can be divided into two types:
- Developing capacity
in public administration - Developing understanding, confidence
and skills. The focus for this work could be (i) within public
administration, especially those sectors that have a major impact
on the broader economic, environmental and social determinants
of health (ii) within ANTSZ to enable the service to act as effective
advocates for a wider approach to health improvement.
- Shaping the policy
debate - Establishment of an independent healthy public policy
network with a remit to influence and stimulate healthy social,
cultural and economic change as they relate to Hungarian affairs
and on Hungary‰s relations with other CEE states and the EU.
Recommendations
A number of recommendations are made. Participants felt that as a
practical next step to test out some of the positions and analyses
contained in this report, ANTSZ be approached to consider supporting
costs for a one-day follow-up workshop in mid to late October. The
purpose of this workshop would be to
- engage with a wider
range of stakeholders
- test out methods
for intersectoral problem solving
- to focus on a practical
challenge: to consider how health development can be integrated
with the social and economic development agendas of the seven
existing regional development committees (noting that such committees
can apply for EU regional development funding).
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