Health Policy of the Liberec Region

The Liberec Regional Assembly, as the first among other regions in the Czech Republic, being aware of high importance of health for long-term and sustainable social an economical development, approved the political and strategic document on health improvement through the resolution No. 11 from December 17th 2002. It comes out from the conviction, that health of population is one of the basic conditions of prosperity of region as well as the satisfaction of people. The Regional Assembly approved the draft of Health Policy and decided to propose to the member of the Regional Council managing the health sector an effective system promoting realisation of the Policy. The Regional Assembly wished to reach improvement of key health indicators in the next 15-20 years in cooperation with health and other sectors, communities, nongovernmental organisations, manufacturers, stakeholders and citizens in accordance with European program WHO HEALTH 21. The Regional Assembly wants to create suitable conditions in health care, in prevention of diseases and in health promotion for this purpose. The draft of the Policy was submitted to the Regional Assembly by the Regional Council and it was prepared by special group managed by director of the Regional Hygiene Station which brought a great part of its own initiative in the process of development and realization of the document. The basis of the draft was Report on Health of Population of the Liberec Region, prepared by the Regional Hygienic Station in November 2001. Since this time we have prepared Health Status Report every year, because it is not only starting point of our work but also a tool of evaluation of our effectiveness. It describes health status data, its economical, social and environmental risk factors as well as life style indicators. Regional Health Policy is concentrated into 14 objectives as proposed by the WHO HEALTH 21 and similar Czech program. These 14 selected objectives can be effectively realised in the region. Realisation of Policy is managed by coordinators appointed by the Regional Council. The head of this managing group is the director of the Regional Hygiene Station. Besides permanent working group for the realization health policy there is further important support - Grants in the field of public health. The Regional Assembly provides about 2 mil. CZK every year. Of course Regional Assembly wants to be informed regularly about realization of health policy, i.e. that we have to submit annual report. By now we have submitted the fourth annual report, which at the same time chalks up a new health policy for current year. The range of conducted activities includes health promotion, health protection, primary care, disease management, mobilizing partners for health, education, health impact assessment etc. The Regional Health Policy has some new features with regards to CR: It is governed by well defined improvement of health indicators, it reckons upon cooperation with all sectors and it determines indicators of effect to be monitored.