After more than a year of revisions and rewriting, the National Health Strategy to 2030 was finally adopted by the National Assembly on Thursday. The strategy is a key document, as the implementation of projects from the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RSP) is tied to it. For 3 years there was no active strategic document after the previous strategy for
period 2014-2020 had expired. The final version of the strategy was developed within a working group of the parliamentary health committee, after twice before the document created by the Ministry of Health was criticized by MPs and representatives of social organizations and the medical community.
The strategy sets greater emphasis on prevention and health promotion and a model of health care that is personalized, evidence-based and of scientific achievements and uses digital technologies and innovations.
The document has three objectives:
- Sustainable health improvement and health-supportive environments. This includes reducing the harmful effects of risky behaviors and the environment, as well as regular prophylaxis and prevention of non-communicable chronic diseases. The goal is for people to live longer in good health, have less need for therapeutic medical care later in life, stay in work longer and, when necessary, receive more frequent treatment in their own homes rather than in medical facilities.
- Effective resource management with a focus on health outcomes. This includes making the most efficient use of human, material and financial resources so that they contribute to the greatest possible health.
- Ensuring health security and reducing inequalities. It is aimed at limiting the risks associated with environmental factors and the threat of infectious diseases, which remain high in our country
The strategy sets specific goals for better health by improving the quality of the environment such as this to reduce premature deaths caused by air pollution by 55%.
Focus is placed on the fight against cardiovascular diseases, oncological diseases, development of donation, reduction of child mortality and improvement of maternal and child health care, improvement of mental health and psychiatric care.
It will be encouraged the disclosure of medical practices in remote and hard-to-reach areas, as well as for the purchase of new, modern medical equipment, allowing the provision of a wider range of medical services, including the possibility of remote consultation and monitoring (telemedicine). In order to guarantee the access of the population to medical activities, it will be placed emphasis on the development of the system and the share of outpatient medical care.
Treatment facilities will be classified into five main levels. The first and second levels covering populated areas up to 5,000 people, will ensure access to primary outpatient care and emergency care, including through the potential of air ambulance. In medium population settlements with population up to 25,000 people will be provided with access to the so-called regional medical facilities with beds for observation and treatment for up to 48 hours (day hospital), availability of a 24-hour emergency room and structures for long-term care (hospices). Regional medical facilities should also have medical specialists in specific specialties.
The existing municipal hospitals will be able to complement the activities of the regional medical facilities. The population of the entire country will have the opportunity to have equal access to high-tech treatment in the 28 regional cities. The state will develop priority hospitals with a high level of equipment and open structures in various specialties (high-tech centers of hospital care). With the funds from the National Plan for Recovery and Sustainability and with supporting state funding, they will be increased possibilities and scope of the most qualified hospital treatment.
The system of access to hospital medical care will be further developed by support hospitals in the regional centers, which will provide the fourth level of access to medical assistance, including medical expertise activities (TELC) and providing access in the event of disasters and accidents. Support medical institutions must have structures in the four areas of medical activity – therapeutic, surgical, obstetric-gynecological and pediatric, as well as an active emergency department that meets the established medical standard “Emergency medicine” and a department for forensic medicine and deontology.
The role of municipal hospitals can be preserved if the municipalities are committed to their maintenance and if the resources of the state budget and the budget of the NHIF are used to provide medical personnel in remote and hard-to-reach areas.
Efforts will be focused mainly on reducing the number of beds for active treatment of acute diseasesdevelopment of high-tech diagnostic and treatment services and structures for rehabilitation, long-term treatment and palliative care.
Many small and inefficient active treatment hospitals could be restructured into medical centers with observation and treatment beds for up to 48 hours and in long-term care structures – regional health facilities to provide a full range of social and medical care: outpatient services, including mobile medical care, physiotherapy, day care services and to some extent care for respite and palliative care provided in both on-site and home settings. Where possible, regional medical facilities can continue to function under the status of the previous municipal hospitals, with open wards and preserved hospital status, according to the needs of the respective settlement.
In the area of Emergency Aid, the strategy provides increase the number of mobile emergency teams per shift by no less than 15%.
In the area of drug policy, it is foreseen valuation, financing and separation of the pharmaceutical service from the price of the medicinal product. It is planned to continue the policy of limiting horizontal and vertical integration in the field of drug supply. Measures against drug shortages and reducing co-payments for medicinal products are also included in the strategy. For patients with multiple chronic diseases, increased public funding and updating of drug reimbursement policies are envisaged. The creation of prerequisites for introducing a pro-generic drug policy in order to promote effective competition and reduce public costs and co-payments of the population for medicinal products is another goal in the strategy.
#Parliament #adopted #National #Health #Strategy
