Overview

Since the health of a population is affected by policies and programmes originating beyond the health sector, governments need to employ a strategy that fosters intersectoral action. Health in All Policies (‎HiAP)‎ is a dual process – it consists of fostering health considerations in other policy areas and taking into account the potential impact of other sectoral policies on the health of the population (‎the wider social determinants of health)‎ – thus leading to several policy coordination challenges and the need for targeted intersectoral governance mechanisms. When successfully implemented, HiAP can contribute positively to key aims in promoting public health, such as ameliorating population health status, and it can also help to diminish health inequalities both within countries and throughout the wider region. It is not surprising, therefore, that recently intersectoral governance and HiAP have gained high level attention as a priority of WHO’s Health2020 strategy, while the EU is also promoting it as a strategic policy tool.

Contents includes:

• Intersectoral governance for HiAP
• The role of parliamentary scrutiny
• Interdepartmental units and committees
• Joint budgeting
• Engaging industry
• Revising the Clinical Trial Directive
• Medicines innovation in severe mental illness
• Developing reference networks for Europe
• Health reforms in Kazakhstan