WHO European Action Plan for Strengthening Public Health Services and Capacity
On 9 November, on the occasion of the annual conference of the European Public Health Association (EUPHA), held in Malta, the WHO European Action Plan for Strengthening Public Health Services was launched. This outlines out a way to strengthen public health in countries across the WHO European Region, and forms a key pillar of the implementation of ‘Health 2020’, the new European policy framework endorsed by the WHO Regional Committee for Europe in September 2012.
Dr Hans Kluge, Director of the Division of Health Systems and Public Health at WHO/Europe, presented the WHO’s plans to modernize public health to address widening inequalities and the increasing challenges of the 21st century. With an ageing population and increasing chronic disease, countries must develop and strengthen services for disease prevention and health promotion, while ensuring robust health protection services to address risks to health from pandemic influenza and climate change. Current spending on prevention across the WHO/Europe Region is estimated to average 3% of total spending only. However, spending on prevention is a cost-effective way to improve health outcomes. For example, prevention initiatives account for 50–74% of the decline in coronary heart disease morbidity in a range of high-income countries.
The Action Plan contains 10 public health operations (EPHOs) that countries can adapt and work on together with WHO technical leadership and support, to assess and plan stronger public health services and capacity.
For the Action Plan:
