PHM-Exch> Health in All Policies (HiAP)

[Claudio Schuftan]

Adapted from
From: Ruggiero, Mrs. Ana Lucia (WDC) <ruglucia at paho.org>

 A comment below.


By now there is wide consensus around the fact that no sector of government
can thrive and reach its goals without the participation of other sectors.
Health in All Policies stresses a whole of government approach. Working
together and across sectors is not only more effective, but also a
pre-requisite to further improve the health and well-being of our
communities at the national, regional and global level.
The path towards universal health coverage and to securing the well-being
of communities cannot be addressed by the health sector alone. It needs
coordinated action by and between sectors of government, by health
professionals and other social and economic sectors and groups, by
voluntary organizations, by local authorities, by industry and by the media
and society at large. Inter-sectorial action is a sine qua non to be
successful in reducing the health equity gap. ......
States should "build their capacities for the successful implementation of
whole of government approaches. Let us continue our efforts and
determination to securing societies free of inequities, where people have
access to healthy environments and modify social determinants to live long,
healthy, and productive lives. .."  Dr. Clarissa Etienne Director of the
Pan American Health Organization.
I have to confess I am a HiAP-skeptic. How many years or decades have we
lived under the mandate of inter-sectoral cooperation or integration? How
much has this advice yielded? Is not HiAP a revamped version of the same?
Will a new name really make a difference other than perhaps riding on a
'gaining new momentum' wave? How prepared are different government and
other sectors really motivated/committed to give health a role in their own
policies? And if they do, will it be along the lines of the social
determinants of health (SDH) or in support of more vertical policies? The
unifying thread (or skewer in this shishkebab problem) is political.
Addressing the SDH is a political decision that transcends sectors. Can I
suggest: *Health In All Politics*?

Claudio

I'll be glad to be proven wrong...
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