The modern concept of healthcare includes access to healthcare professionals from various fields as well as medical technologies such as medicines and surgical equipment. It also includes access to the latest research information and findings, including medical and healthcare research. But what exactly is health policy? The World Health Organization (WHO) defines it as “decisions, plans and actions taken to achieve specific health goals within a society”. This broad category can be divided into separate measures, such as mental health care and health care affordability. Other countries have explicit policies to ensure and support access for all their citizens, fund health research, and plan for an appropriate number, distribution, and quality of health workers to achieve health goals. Many governments around the world have embraced universal health coverage, which offloads the burden of health spending onto private companies or individuals by pooling financial risks. There are various arguments for and against universal health coverage and related health policies. Health care is an important part of health care systems and therefore often one of the most important areas of spending for governments and individuals around the world. Health policy often refers to the content of a health-related policy. In this sense, there are many categories of health policies, including global health policy, public health policy, mental health policy, health policy, insurance policy, personal health policy, pharmaceutical policy, and public health-related policies such as vaccination policy, tobacco control policy or breastfeeding policy. Health policy may also include issues related to health care, such as financing and delivery, access to health care, quality of care, and health equity. The existence of sound medical research does not necessarily lead to evidence-based policy-making.
In South Africa, for example, where the population is setting the record for HIV infection, previous government policies limiting funding and access to AIDS treatment have been highly controversial because they were based on a refusal to accept scientific evidence on routes of transmission. [27] A change in government eventually led to a change in policy, introducing new guidelines for wide access to HIV services. [28] Another issue concerns intellectual property, as demonstrated by the case of Brazil, where debates have arisen over government policies allowing domestic production of antiretroviral drugs for the treatment of HIV/AIDS in violation of pharmaceutical patents. Many governments and organizations include a health dimension in their foreign policies to achieve global health goals. Health promotion in low-income countries has been seen as critical to achieving other goals on the global agenda, including:[29] Leadership and governance include ensuring that policy frameworks are in place and combined with effective oversight, coalition-building, regulation, system design and accountability. Three broad categories of actors interacting with each other determine the health system and its governance: HIV: Health policy plays an important role in educating the public about HIV prevention, living with the virus, treatment options and stigma prevention. Public health policies, including improved access to testing, birth control and medications, have been implemented to significantly reduce the impact and spread of the virus in various communities. Food security policy: Food security policies are very important for the overall health of individuals and individuals in society.
Foodborne illness is a major problem, and it is the responsibility of public health officials to develop guidelines to ensure that only food that is safe for consumption is made available to the public. Health policy can be divided into different categories, each dealing with a different component of health care. Some key examples: Health policy shapes the entire healthcare landscape, both patients and providers. Nurses play a direct role in the design, implementation and evaluation of health policies in their communities. This requires strong skills and a basic understanding of population health, health financing and more. Enrolling in an online Master of Science in Nursing program can be a good first step in cultivating these skills. Specific ways nurses can shape health policies include: Legislation to ensure universal access to health care Online collection of WHO tools to support health authorities at national and subnational levels in developing health policies, strategies and plans. WHO`s work on health systems governance aims to empower stakeholders and increase the accountability, transparency and responsiveness of health systems through actions focused on: Since 1922, the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health has been a leader in public health research, education and collaboration.
We are tackling pressing public health issues and putting research into practice. Learn more about our public health programs. There is still considerable controversy over who pays the cost of medical care for all people and under what circumstances. For example, public spending on health care is sometimes used as a global indicator of a government`s commitment to the health of its population. [11] On the other hand, a school of thought originating in the United States rejects the notion of taxpayer funding of health care as inconsistent with the (no less important) right of professional medical judgment and related concerns that government involvement in monitoring the health of its citizens could undermine the right to privacy between physicians and patients.
