No quality health care without strong public health

London: HM Treasury, 2004

Canadian Family Physician Medecin De Famille Canadien, 2007

A mong first-world countries blessed with abundance, as well as within developing nations struggling to move forward, achieving and sustaining acceptable health care services are priorities for civic leaders, medical workers, and citizens. When epidemiologic trends, including escalating rates of chronic illness, 1,2 rapidly aging populations, and greater-than-ever health care use, are juxtaposed with a milieu of limited funding and resources, the sustainability of public health systems becomes a concern. Inadequate numbers of medical personnel to care for increasing numbers of patients has facilitated the genesis of "fast-food" medical encounters where provision of care is sometimes aimed at quickly addressing signs and symptoms rather than uncovering and managing the causes of affliction. With escalating health care costs, with some public health care systems in relative disarray, and with compelling research delineating specific determinants of much contemporary affliction, it is time for the medical community to revisit the current clinical practice construct-incorporating preventive medicine should be considered. Vol 53: april • aVril 2007 Canadian Family Physician • Le Médecin de famille canadien 599

Canadian Journal of Public Health

Medical Journal of Australia, 2005

Public Health Reviews, 2010

In this inaugural issue of the revived journal, Public Health Reviews, we seek to address a wide audience from the myriad disciplines that comprise the workforce of public health. In this effort, we hope to reach public health educators, researchers, students, policy makers, and practitioners worldwide with evidence-based theoretical and experiential knowledge. Applied nationally and internationally, public health has enormous global potential to save lives and improve quality of life if applied equitably throughout the world. The inaugural issue is therefore devoted to the New Public Health, as the basis for improving population health globally. The central idea behind this issue is to focus on some of the major challenges and possibilities for improving health in the coming decades. The New Public Health involves the interdependence of traditional local, state or provincial, national, and global public health initiatives and their societal and political contexts. European societies, as others, face the challenges of ageing populations, increasing costs and rising public and individual expectations. At the same time, there are many social, regional, and transnational disparities. 1,2 The New Public Health addresses traditional aspects of public health, as well as the great potential for prevention-oriented healthcare systems. The New Public Health seeks to safeguard and improve individual health in the context of social and economic disparities that exist in varying degrees in all countries and regions. Furthering the New Public Health implies crossfertilization between public health protection, health promotion, disease prevention, health maintenance, and environmental health in the context of improvement of societal, economic, industrial and community habitation policies. Management of health systems and resource allocation are crucial to setting priorities in prevention, and the effective organization and

Journal of Public Health

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has stressed the importance of Public Health. Its traditional functions need to be continually reviewed and updated to build on this outcome. Core principles and guiding concepts of all Public Health activities should aim to allocate resources equitably, act on upstream determinants of health, synthesise evidence and provide guidance to health services and professionals and health policy. Furthermore, the role of Public Health is closely linked to the efforts for achieving health equity. As outlined in a recent WHO report, 1 health services, income security and social protection, living conditions, social and human capital, and employment and working conditions are key areas of intervention for achieving health equity.

Canadian Geographer, 1990

2015

The views expressed by authors or editors do not necessarily represent the decisions or the stated policies of the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies or any of its partners. The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies or any of its partners concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitations of its frontiers or boundaries. Where the designation 'country or area' appears in the headings of tables, it covers countries, territories, cities, or areas. Dotted lines on maps represent approximate border lines for which there may not yet be full agreement. The mention of specific companies or of certain manufacturers' products does not imply that they are endorsed or recommended by the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. Errors and omissions excepted, the names of proprietary products are distinguished by initial capital letters. The European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies does not warrant that the information contained in this publication is complete and correct and shall not be liable for any damages incurred as a result of its use. The opinions expressed and arguments employed herein do not necessarily reflect the official views of the OECD or of the governments of its member countries. Rights to translate into German, Spanish, French and Russian should be sought from WHO at

Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, 2004