Role of national public health institutes in finland nc dseminar 10032014

Role of national public health institutes in Finland and globally

THL, NCD seminar 10.-14.3.2014

Pekka Puska, professor

Ex Director General, THL

President, IANPHI

IANPHI

• International Association of National Public Health Institutes

• Some 80 national institutes members

• Founded 1995 in Rio de Janeiro

• President Pekka Puska, Executive Board with 12 members

• Main office in Mexico. Annual meetings.

13.3.2014 Pekka Puska 2

Core functions of the NPHIs* • Infectious diseases and environmental health

• NCD prevention and health promotion

• Health inequalities and social determinants of health

• Health monitoring and surveillance

• Responses to threats, risks, emergencies and disasters

• Evaluation of the health of the nation

• Health systems and health economics

• Social participation in health

• Human resource development and training

• Regulation and enforcement

• Planning and management

• Public health research

* defined by IANPHI


Public Health Research within NPHIs • A firm knowledge base

– Health promotion, disease prevention, clinical care

– Anticipate future trends, needs and challenges

– Structural, behavioral and social determinants

• Research and surveillance

– Prevalence of risk factors (behavioral and biological) and their trends

– Prevalence and/or incidence of major diseases and their trends

– Health systems, services and health economy

• Public health research, in particular

– High quality: applied for large populations


From research to action • Conducting research

– Is a critical function and important for the credibility of an NPHI

• Most public health evidence is created by international research community

– Only an organization with its own research is capable to interpret the evidence into practice

• The research in the NPHI

– Focus on topics with high public health priority

– Which may not be addressed by academic research in universities

– Combines and transfers public health data to scientific evidence in an effective way



The Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) • Established 1 January 2009, through the merger of the

National Public Health Institute (KTL) and the National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health (STAKES)

• Operates under the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health

Starting points for the new Institute:

• Joining forces to further improve the promotion of health and welfare in Finland

• Needs of the population in terms of health and welfare

• Needs of the service delivery system


THL’s duties (THL Law 2008)

• To promote health and welfare, prevent diseases and social problems, and to develop social welfare and health care activities and services.

• THL is active in research, development, monitoring and evaluation ; THL engages in extensive international co-operation.

• THL performs official tasks and is the statutory statistical authority in health and welfare, maintaining a strong knowledge base within its field. THL is also responsible for the application of this knowledge.


Information guidance to exercise national influence

The focus is on:

• National and municipal decision-making

• Health and welfare professionals

• NGOs and the general public

• Private sector

• Research and development organisations

The methods are:

• Planning, monitoring and evaluation

• Development work and innovations

• Expertise guidance and counselling

• Communications and practical application of results

• National and international co-operation and partnerships

• National duties (eg. National vaccination programme, official statistics etc.)

THL's key goal is to ensure that issues of welfare and

Health expert knowledge has a strong impact on decision-

making at all levels.

THL’s organisation


DIRECTOR GENERAL Juhani Eskola

Department of Social

and Health Policy and

Economics

Department of Health,

Functional Capacity

and Welfare

Department of Lifestyle

and Participation

Department of Chronic

Disease Prevention

Department of Alcohol,

Drugs and Addiction

Department of

Vaccination and Immune

Protection

Department of Infectious

Disease Surveillance

and Control

Department of

Environmental Health

Department of

Children, Young

People and Families

Department of Mental

Health and Substance

Abuse Services

Service System

Department

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES AND DEVELOPMENT

INFORMATION DEPARTMENT

DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION

International Affairs Unit

DIVISION OF

WELFARE AND

HEALTH POLICIES

DIVISION OF

WELFARE AND

HEALTH PROMOTION

DIVISION OF HEALTH

PROTECTION

DIVISION OF HEALTH

AND SOCIAL

SERVICES


Key figures: THL’s funding in 2012

Total budget of EUR 116.2 million:

• 59 % from the State Budget

• 29 % from outside funding sources

• 7 % from chargeable services

• 5 % transferred assets

Five major external financiers: Ministry of Social Affairs, the European Union, the Academy of Finland, Tekes and the Finnish municipalities

59 % 29 %

7 % 5 %

Major strengths of THL

• Comprehensive coverage (broadly health and social issues)

• Combines high level research with major expert functions

• Close collaboration with Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, as well as many stakeholders

• Very international


Research in THL

• Health monitoring and surveillance

– Health behavior: smoking, physical activity, etc.

– Nutrition

– Biological factors: physical and laboratory measurements

– Occurrence of diseases

• Scientific research

– Based on public health monitoring data

– High added value: relatively little additonal resources needed

– Over xxx scientific publications annually

• Collaboration

– Universities in Finland

– Extensive international collaboration


NCD monitoring and surveillance • Adult health behavior survey

– Annually

– Postal questionnaire

• The National FINRISK Study

– Every five years since 1972

– Questionnaire, physical measurements, laboratory

• Health 2000

– Every 10-20 years

– Extensive (and expensive) protocol

• Register data

– Mortality

– Morbidity

– Use of drugs

– Socioeconomic data


THL statistics

• Duties of THL mentioned in 60 laws

• THL gives invited commentaries 150 per year

• THL has approx 200 representatives in national committees, working groups etc


PUBLIC HEALTH LEGISLATION PROCESS

INITIATIVE

MoH PREPARATION

- officials

- Working group

PROPOSAL

-comments from stakeholders

PARLIAMENT

- committee discussion

LAW


THL

Essential public health functions


THL works not only with MoH legislation

• Intersectoral work

• Support to health in all policies

• 8GCHP in Helsinki Helsinki Statement

THL has broad intersectoral collaboration!


8th Global WHO Conference on health promotion - “Health in all policies” From Ottawa to Helsinki (June 2013)

13.3.2014 18 Pekka Puska

HELSINKI STATEMENT


THL has an international profile

• Engages in extensive international co-operation

• Expert collaboration and national participation: UN and UN authorities (WHO), EU (DG SANCO, ECDC), OECD and many international associations

• Global activities in health and welfare, European and Nordic collaboration, co-operation with neighbouring areas

• Development consultancy projects in transitional economies and developing countries

• The secretariat of The International Association of National Public Health Institutes (IANPHI ) is located at THL in Helsinki.


National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL)

Tel. +358 20 610 6000 (switchboard)

Postal address: PO Box 30, FI-00271 Helsinki, Finland

Visiting address: Mannerheimintie 166, Helsinki

E-mail firstname.lastname(at)thl.fi

www.thl.fi

13.3.2014

Thank you

Pekka Puska 21

Role of national public health institutes in finland nc dseminar 10032014

Health & Medicine

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