Advancing health promotion in low-resource countries

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Published: Mar 31, 2012
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5750/ijpcm.v2i1.175
Keywords:
All for health disease surveillance health promotion health systems healthy policy multisecteral action person-centered care public health intervention social determinants socioeconomics

Main Article Content

Yongyuth Pongsupap
National Health Security Office, Nonthaburi, Thailand

Abstract

The agenda for health promotion that has been established since 1986 (Ottawa Charter: providing safe or supportive environment; developing healthy public policy; developing personal skills, community action; reorienting the health service) is now firmly embedded in the framework of health promotion activities in more economically developed countries. The progress in developing it within less economically developed countries has shown some significant forward movement. The evidence for the effectiveness of the strategies of the Charter is mixed. In order to prove effective, the individual interventions need to act in conjunction with each other and with certain supporting actions. Strong evidence exists for the effectiveness of one strategy linked to building public policies for health. In contemporary societies, health tends to become fragmented into various sub-institutions dealing with particular aspects of health or health systems, while the capacity to assemble the various aspects of public policy that jointly determine health is under-developed. The epistemological model underpinning health promotion is based on systems theory. The reciprocity of the interactions of the different elements of the system or organisation is acknowledged as a driving force. All actors – all health professionals, patients, their families, the community and all other relevant social actors including policy makers – are part of the system and all have the power to change its functioning. A participative and collaborative attitude is essential to optimise a given system’s status.

Article Details

Issue
Vol. 2 No. 1 (2012)
Section
The Person with Disease at the Center of Teaching
Author Biography

Yongyuth Pongsupap, National Health Security Office, Nonthaburi, Thailand

Dr Yongyuth Pongsupap, he is now a Senior Expert of the National Health Security Office (NHSO), ThailandEducation and training1989       Graduated MD  Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand1994       Board Certification of Preventive Medicine (Public Health)           Medical Council, Bangkok, Thailand1996       Master in Public Health (Health System Development)   Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium2001       Board Certification of Family Medicine   Medical Council, Bangkok, Thailand2007       PhD*     Faculty of Medicine, University of Brussels (Vrije Universiteit Brussel: VUB), Brussels, Belgium*Thesis for PhD on “Introducing a human dimension to Thai health care: the case for family practice”International Publications (peer review journals)Pongsupap Y, Van Lerberghe W (2010): People-centred medicine and WHO’s renewal of primary care, Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2753.01587Kitreerawutiwong N, Kuruchittham V, Somrongthong R, Pongsupap Y (2009):  Seven attributes of primary care in Thailand, Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health, May, 14.De Maeseneer J, Moosa S, Pongsupap Y, Kaufman A (2008): Primary health care in a changing world, the British Journal of General Practice, Nov;58(556):806-9, i-ii.Phongsuphap S, Pongsupap Y, Chandanamattha P,  Lursinsap C (2008): Changes in heart rate variability during concentration meditation, the International Journal of Cardiology (electronic published ahead of print, in press for hard copy) doi:10.1016/j. ijcard.2007.06.103Pongsupap Y and Van Lerberghe W (2006): Is motivation enough? Responsiveness, patient-centredness, medicalisation and cost in self-styled Family Practice and conventional care in Thailand, the Journal of Human Resources for Health, Vol 4:19, available at: http://www.human-resources-health.com/content/4/1/19Pongsupap Y and Van Lerberghe W (2006): Is motivation enough? Patient experience with self-styled family practices and conventional primary care in Thailand, the Asia Pacific Family Medicine Journal Vol 5 (1), available at http://www.apfmj.com/afm5_1/index.htmPongsupap Y and Van Lerberghe W (2006): Choosing between public and private or between hospital and primary care? Responsiveness, patient-centredness and prescribing for outpatients in Bangkok. the Journal of Tropical Medicine & International Health: Vol II (I): 81-89Nittayarumphong S, Srivanichakorn S, and Pongsupap Y (2000): Strategies to respond to health manpower need in Thailand, in Ferrinho, P. and Van Lerberghe, W., editors. Practicing health care under adverse circumstances. Studies in Health Series Organisation & Policy 16: 55–72

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