The Bodossaki Foundation presents the ’Action Plan for Public Health in the 21st century’
The second of the four Action Plans which the Foundation has undertaken to develop will be presented on 12 April
In line with its participation in the ‘1821-2021 Initiative’ and looking to secure the country’s future, the Bodossaki Foundation has undertaken to prepare four comprehensive Action Plans relating to the University of 2030, the upgrading of Public Health, the tackling of key Environmental Challenges and the empowerment of Civil Society in our country, areas that fall under its strategic action pillars. The Action Plans are developed under the auspices of H.E. The President of the Hellenic Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, and will be made available for the competent State authorities and other departments to make use of.
Wishing to advance the debate on the future of Public Health in Greece, the Foundation invited distinguished Greek public health experts to contribute the best available scientific evidence and international experience to this task. In order to draw up the Action Plan for the Public Health, a Central Coordination Team was established, which in collaboration with a 50-member Scientific Team and after 18 months of pro bono work and dialogue with the academic and professional communities and the other actors involved, and taking account of international developments, formulated an Action Plan for the upgrading of the Greek Public Health system.
The Action Plan was presented as a discussion document on 12 April 2022 at the Athens Concert Hall.
The Central Coordination Team consists of eight members and is chaired by:
- Mr Agis Tsouros, former Director of Policy and Governance for Health and Wellbeing at the WHO Regional Office for Europe,
assisted by two Vice Chairs:
- Mr John Kyriopoulos, President of the Institute of Health Economics, and
- George Chrousos, Professor Emeritus of Paediatrics & Endocrinology at the Medical School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.
The Action Plan for Public Health in the 21st century provides the building blocks for a modern Public Health System together with the conditions for its implementation, placing great emphasis on citizens’ right to health, equality and sustainability. Rather than considering the system through which healthcare services are provided, the Plan addresses cross-sectoral policies, services and activities related to preventing disease and promoting wellbeing, protecting and monitoring the health of the population, and managing health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Action Plan makes prioritised proposals that could serve as the basis for a strategic roadmap for 2030, whose key preconditions are extensive dialogue, broad consensus, political will and the engagement of the actors involved in the process from early on.
The methodology followed in developing the Plan has been based on the most up-to-date international ideas regarding Public Health and on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, covering all key functions of Public Health in accordance with the WHO reference standards. Additionally, a survey was conducted for the first time in Greece on the attitudes and perceptions of Public Health workers regarding the system’s operation and reorganisation.
Following the presentation of the Action Plan, the Scientific Team will accept comments and questions, which should be sent by email to publichealth@bodossaki.gr by 12 May 2022, so they can be taken into consideration during the process of finalising the Action Plan and other relevant texts.
