Discovering The Health Promotion Fund
Find out what a health promotion fund really is, and why it is a critical component of public health.
What is a health promotion fund
A health promotion fund is an investment for any country towards safeguarding the health and well-being of their population. With non-communicable diseases (NCD) escalating globally resulting in deaths and disability, countries are shouldering ever-increasing healthcare costs. Health promotion programmes help reduce the burden of NCDs and mitigate the corresponding economic and social burdens. These programmes require sustainable funding allocated via a dedicated health promotion fund.
- Definition of health promotion fund
- International guiding principles
- 1986 Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion
- WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC)
- Resolution WHA58.33: Sustainable health financing, universal coverage and social health insurance
- UN Declarations
- 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- Health financing
Why are health promotion funds so important?
Establishing a sustainable health promotion funding mechanism is the most cost-effective way to generate a reliable long-term funding stream for promoting and improving population health.
- Limited budgets for health promotion and tobacco control, particularly in low- and middle-income countries
- To diminish health, social and economic costs from non-communicable diseases
- Securing long-term investment for improving health
- To supplement health insurance or universal health care policy
- Funding a range of health-related initiatives
- Making the polluter pays
- International obligations: WHO FCTC/UN Declaration/SDGs