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Health and well-being are human rights. Health is a public good that is a determinant and contributor to peace, economic development and growth. Health is one of the 2 pillars of human capitol and as such a perquisite to growth and development.
Health is an important dimension of SEE 2020 Inclusive Growth pillar. The SEE Health Network, one of the RCC Initiatives since 2001, with its clear legally binding documents, and institutions (SEE Health Network Secretariat inaugurated on 07 March 2013 in Skopje, 10 Regional Health Development Centers in each one of the 10 Member States, and a network of over 300 experts) has developed the Health chapter for the SEE 2020 Growth Strategy.
On November 21, 2013 in Sarajevo during the Ministerial Conference of the South East Europe Investment Committee, co-chaired by the government of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the RCC, the SEE 2020 Strategy was adopted by the ministers of economy of the Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia and Macedonia, in the presence of the representatives of the European Union and other regional and international partners and initiatives, international organizations, and donor community. Adoption of the SEE 2020 Strategy has made commitments for creation of one million new jobs in South East Europe (SEE) until 2020 as the most important aim of the strategy dubbed “Jobs and Prosperity in a European Perspective”.
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Ms Zsuzsanna Jakab, WHO Regional Director for Europe, made an official visit to Montenegro on 26–28 March 2014, meeting HE Mr Milo Ðjukanović, Prime Minister of Montenegro, and Professor Miodrag Radunović, Minister of Health, and other high-level officials.
At her meeting with the Prime Minister on 27 March, the Regional Director commended the Government for making health a strategic priority and seeing it as an investment in the overall development of the country. She particularly praised efforts to revitalize primary health care, integrating preventive services and health promotion. The Regional Director advised, however, that, despite noteworthy improvements in life expectancy at birth and in child and maternal mortality in Montenegro, further investment is needed to tackle noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and their risk factors – smoking, alcohol use, obesity and physical inactivity – and the broader social determinants of health.
National committee on NCDs to be established
The Prime Minister expressed his appreciation of WHO’s support in strengthening the health system and confirmed his commitment to the structural reform of the health sector. In addition, a national committee on NCDs would be established, consisting of ministers from different sectors and chaired by the Prime Minister, to ensure a more coordinated and effective multisectoral response.
In discussions with the Minister of Health, the Regional Director underlined the need to ensure that resources are used efficiently to maintain the financial sustainability of the health system, and to take further steps towards universal health coverage. This would mean cutting out-of-pocket payments for health care, as these increase inequalities.
Agreement signed between Montenegro and WHO/Europe
During the meeting, The Minister and the Regional Director signed a biennial collaborative agreement (BCA), establishing work priorities for WHO/Europe and the Ministry of Health for 2014–2015.
Further exchanges
The Regional Director’s official visit enabled her to visit the Medical Faculty of the University of Montenegro in Podgorica, meet health directors from all the public health institutions in Montenegro and describe Health 2020, the new European health policy, to them.
At a meeting with Mr Mitja Drobnič, Head of the European Union delegation to Montenegro, the Regional Director stressed the importance of health as a driver of sustainable development and pointed out the compelling need to address the premature mortality due to NCDs by tackling the risk factors and social determinants of health using a whole-of-government approach.
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Presentation – Health 2020, a new European policy for health
27 March 2014, Podgorica, Montenegro
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March 12-13, 2014, Jahorina, BiH
Following the Brussels Coordination Meeting (January, 2014), the RCC organized a SEE 2020 Coordination Meeting in Jahorina, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The meeting was attended by the SEEHN Presidency, Executive Committee members and the SEEHN permanent Working Group on SEE 2020 Strategy.
The purpose of the meeting was to discuss and agree on the SEEHN obligations and actions for SEE 2020 Strategy implementation, including on the:
- Monitoring of SEE 2020
- Implementing SEE 2020 through flagship initiatives
- Governing the implementation
- Work plan (2014 – 2019) of the health dimension objectives and measures under the Inclusive Growth pillar of the SEE 2020 Strategy
- Immediate needs in 2014 under the Presidencies of Romania and Republic of Serbia (Revisions of SEE Health Network basic legal documents; Concepts for the Fourth SEE Ministerial Forum; Next steps and timetable in 2014 and 2015)
Given the importance of monitoring of the implementation of the SEE 2020 Strategy, the meeting paid special attention to discussing and revising an OECD proposed set of measurable quantitative indicators for the health dimension. Having in mind the “health in all policies concept”, the health targets and indicators were restructured in order to fully align health prevention and promotion with it, while also having in mind the social determinants of health and inequalities. Agreeing on a revised set of quantitative indicators was one of the major outcomes of this meeting, and a first and very important step towards devising the full monitoring framework. The next step for completing this framework is to devise a set of qualitative indicators, which will follow later in 2014. A revision and further development of the flagship initiatives will also follow in the coming months.
Table 1: Proposed outcome and policy quantitative health indicators of the SEE2020 Strategy (Jahorina)
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OUTCOME MEASURES
& Data Sources
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Indicators of Impact by 2020
& Data Sources
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Annual Progress Measure
& Data Sources
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Health Activities
|
| Continued increase in life expectancy at current rate as (2006-2010)
% increase in healthy life years at age 65
% reduction in low birth weight
% relative annual reduction in age-standardized overall premature mortality rate (from 30 to under 65 years) for four major noncommunicable diseases (HFA-MDB)
- Cardiovascular diseases
- Cancer
- Diabetes mellitus
- Chronic respiratory diseases
% Increase universal coverage
% reduction in infant mortality per 1000 live births (HFA-DB) |
- % reduction in age-standardized prevalence of tobacco use among children and persons aged 15+; HBSC & ESPAD
- % reduction in age-standardized per capita alcohol consumption among use among children and persons aged 15+; HBSC + ESSPAD
- % reduction in age-standardized per capita salt intake among persons aged 18+; Desirable New
- % reduction in age-standardized prevalence of overweight and obesity in adolescents & persons aged 18+ HBSC +ESPAD
- % Self – perceived limitations in daily activities EU SILC
- Number of Community Health Workers per 1000 population Desirable New
- % of Babies breast fed to 6 months WHO/UNFPA
|
- Private household out of pocket payments as % of health expenditure WHO / HFA
- Health insurance coverage (% of population) WHO /HFA
- Percentage of children vaccinated against measles (1 dose by second birthday), polio (3 doses by first birthday), rubella (1 dose by second birthday)
- Sickness Absence Rates
- Health SMEs Desirable New
- Equity of access to health services as a measure of unmet needs EU-SILC annual – MVA; ALB ; BiH
- Total expenditure on health as % of GDP WHO-HFA
- Public Sector Health Expenditure as % of all Government expenditure WHO-HFA
- Total expenditure on health as absolute amount WHO-HFA
- Doctors registration recipient Country; Nurses registration recipient country; Intention to Leave; Intention to Leave in Host country
- Desirable New
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- Scale up Implementation of Universal Primary Care
- Develop a Regional Model for Improved delivery of Prevention & Health Promotion Programs & Services
- Strengthen intersectoral governance for health
- E- Health/ M- Health
- Adopt a regional information exchange for capacity building on improving Health & Fair Development
- Harmonise cross boarder public health standards legislation and services
- Foster cross border cooperation and free trade area from PH perspective
- Strengthen Human Resources for Health & Monitor Human Resource Migration/Mobility
- Harmonise professional standards & Qualifications
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News
http://www.secids.com/ – “Southeast European Center For Surveillance And Control Of Infectious Diseases” – SECID, website launch.
Health and well-being are human rights. Health is a public good that is a determinant and contributor to peace, economic development and growth. Health is one of the 2 pillars of human capitol and as such a perquisite to growth and development.
