Health policy program and health program
According to the Act of 27 August 2004 on health care services financed from public funds:
health policy program – a set of planned and intended health care activities assessed as effective, safe and justified, enabling reaching the set goals within a given time, consisting in detecting and achieving specific health needs and improving the health condition of a specific group of beneficiaries, developed, implemented, implemented and financed by the minister or a local government unit;
health program – a set of planned and intended health care activities assessed as effective, safe and justified, enabling the achievement of targets within the given time, consisting in detecting and meeting specific health needs and improving the health status of a specific group of beneficiaries, developed, implemented, implemented and financed by the Fund.
The idea of implementing health programs and health policy programs is to improve the health of the society through organized activities of the State. Undoubtedly, the greatest benefits are brought by actions implemented at the local level due to the knowledge of the health needs of residents, as well as the possibility to take into account the cultural conditions of a given region. The inclusion of a smaller group of people by the health program, eg residents of the commune, instead of, for example, all residents of Poland, ensures better access to the group and greater participation in the program. Preventive programs currently implemented by the National Health Fund are: Population Program for Early Breast Cancer Detection (mammography), Cervical Cancer Prevention Program (cytology), TB prevention program, Prenatal testing program, Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Program, Tobacco Control Program (including COPD). A certain form of preventive program is also obligatory protective vaccinations, thanks to which it is possible to prevent infectious diseases. The Protective Vaccine Program is published annually by the Chief Sanitary Inspector in autumn and contains mandatory vaccinations and recommended for the following year.
Territorial self-governments, on the other hand, have the option of implementing health policy programs aimed at various health problems, depending on the health situation in a given community. Since 2009, territorial self-governments have an obligation to submit projects of health programs to the Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Tariffs for their opinion. The Agency’s opinion allows you to identify errors and elements that need improvement. A well-prepared, planned and well-thought-out health program is one of the conditions for the success of its implementation.