The activities of the Government Population Council aimed at limiting health care inequalities

INTRODUCTION

Demographic changes, including the aging of populations, tend to increase the frequency of and also change the structure of diseases, significantly increase the cost of treatments and place the balance of health care systems at risk. Changes in environmental conditions, including those related to widening social inequalities, increase the risk of large-scale catastrophes, epidemics and social pathologies. Faced with these challenges, the European Union adopted three strategic objectives for the years 2008-2013: to improve the health of Europe’s aging populations by promoting health and preventing illness; to protect citizens from health threats; and to support the development of dynamic health systems and new technologies .
In 2014 the European Parliament and the EU Council set up a Third Programme for the Union’s Action in the field of health for the period 2014-2020 . This is an integral element of the programme “Europe 2020: A strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth”. The overall objectives of this programme are: to improve the health of EU citizens and reduce health care inequalities by promoting health, encouraging health-related innovation, enhancing the stability of health care systems and protecting EU citizens from serious cross-border health threats. Fulfilling these goals at the national level requires broad multi-sector, interdisciplinary involvement by state and local authorities, public institutions and society.
The Government Population Council (the GPC) is the Prime Minister’s advisory body on issues related to demographics and population policy. Since its establishment in 1974, one of the GPC’s key areas of interest has been public health, within the framework of which the GPC initiates legislative work, reviews legislation, monitors the health of the general public and selected populations, participates in analytical and programme work, organizes or participates in the organization of scientific conferences, publishes reports, its official positions and expert opinions on issues, and represents Poland’s position at international conferences. From 1999 until his death on January 6th 2016, the chairman of the Government Population Council was Professor Zbigniew Strzelecki (Doctor of Economic Sciences) of the Warsaw School of Economics (born August 25th 1949), founder member and president of the Polish Demographics Society, and head of the Local Government and Local Economy Faculty at the...


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