The Minister of Health, Gotzone Sagardui, presented this morning in the Basque Parliament the draft Public Health Law, whose main objective is to safeguard and promote the health of the Basque population as a public good of maximum interest, guaranteeing the rights of people in terms of health, equal opportunities and equity.
In the presentation, in which the Minister was accompanied by the Deputy Minister of Health, José Luis Quintas , and the Director of Public Health and Addictions, Itziar Larizgoitia. The purpose of this law is precisely to provide the Basque Country with a new legal framework that makes it possible to respond effectively and comprehensively to the new needs and demands existing in today’s Basque society. Throughout these 25 years, the very concept of public health has evolved, extending from the health system to the rest of the areas that affect the determinants of health, a new dimension that the COVID-19 pandemic has convincingly demonstrated .
Thus, the proposed law delves into the principle of health in all policies, one of the pillars of the action of the Basque Government, in order to act more effectively on the determinants of health, clearly defining the powers, benefits and services in this area. In fact, the Minister of Health has referred to the future challenges or the main determinants of health in the coming years, such as, for example, antibiotic resistance, emerging diseases related to climate change (and globalization), obesity, sedentary lifestyle and changes in eating patterns, especially in young people or the change in weather patterns that has to do with droughts , potability of water, among other issues. These determinants of health underline the idea of continuing to work on the concept of “health in all policies” since, referring to the World Health Organization , the healthcare system of a country contributes 20% to the capital of health; 30% corresponds to healthy life habits, 40% to other types of public policies.
Source (link in Spanish)