[afro-nets] What is a national Health Policy?

["A. Odutola" <chpss_abo2@yahoo.com>]

What is a National Health Policy?
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For those interested in learning about National Health Policy making and how to formulate one, a well written, and easy to read report is show-cased below.

The report is by V. Navarro and titled: "What is a National Health Policy?". It is available in hardcopy from the  International Journal of Health Services, Vol. 37, No. 1, p. 1 ? 14, 2007. It is also available from the author on request by email at Email: 
mailto:vnavarro@jhsph.edu  or for download online after free registration at
http://baywood.metapress.com/media/3lpmnmmylnfm61nvtw3p/contributions/h/4/5/4/h454732660341t25.pdf

Synopsis:
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The author defines the key objectives of a National Health Policy (NHP) as ?creating conditions that ensure good health for entire population?.

He identifies three determinants or components of NHP as including:
a) Structural/Institutional Determinants 
b) Socializing and Empowering Determinants 
c) Lifestyle Determinants 

Evidence as well as positive and negative indicators are provided to characterize a National Health Policy that best promotes healthy society as that which among other elements, actively; 
a) promotes social inclusions, wide participation in governance and voice to the poor and marginalized; 
b) minimizes population-wide inequity, hegemony and social competition while promoting wide social protection and societal solidarity;
c) facilitates equitable access to gainful employment, basic education, housing, health services as well as human, reproductive and sexual rights irrespective of social status;
d) fosters personal responsibility for healthy lifestyle choices through health education and promotion efforts, while institutionalizing legislative action to minimize tobacco and alcohol consumption. 

Among the many national health policy paradigms available, the author singles out the Swedish National Health Policy as a significant progressive model on which others can build.

The report is value-laden. It should assist individuals, groups, associations and diverse stakeholders such as members of this forum to clearly articulate policy and programmatic interventions that could interface well with and strengthen inputs from others in on-going attempts to fashion a worthy National Health Policy for a healthy society in any African society.

A. Odutola
mailto:chpss_abo2@yahoo.com