- We have focused a lot over the decades on diseases, on how to prevent them as well, but especially on how to treat them, how to proceed, how to rehabilitate them. This is very important and this has often been neglected as well, but without the element of education we won't move said Deputy Health Minister Wojciech Konieczny in an interview with Medexpress during the 2nd Children and Adolescent Health Congress.
Children and Adolescent Health Congress
Health education is needed and requires inter-ministerial action
Published Aug. 30, 2024 12:06
There is a great deal of talk that building the health of children and adolescents requires interdepartmental action. What challenges does this raise?
A modern approach to health care in the sense of interdepartmentalism applies not only to children. We see this need in every age group. Of course, when it comes to adolescent children, it necessarily has to be more balanced, because children are in a certain environment and spend most of their time there. This environment must be health-friendly for them. This will not be achieved by the health care system alone. Here it is necessary to cooperate with the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Family and Social Policy. This cooperation is being established.
The best example is the program of a new subject in school, namely health education. This will be a breakthrough in public health, in the approach to a person not as a sick person, but I to as a potentially healthy person, who is supposed to be healthy for as long as possible. We have been very focused for decades on diseases, on how to prevent them too, but especially on how to treat them, how to manage them, how to rehabilitate them. This is very important, and this too has often been neglected, but without the element of education we will not move.
The effects will certainly not appear immediately. When there is greater awareness of mental health issues, for example, these problems will be shown earlier, that is, not in the teenage years. This group is affected by a lot of mental crises, and it's important to show these people earlier that life brings with it certain stresses and tell them how to combat or prevent them from occurring.
There must also be adequate social programs. The current ones serve more to meet existential needs, but are not directed at something specific. For example, we need to focus on addictions - various ones: nicotine, alcohol, drugs or smartphones. This projects into health, and goes beyond our normal activities.
Together with the Ministry of Education, we are moving vaccinations, including those against HPV, into schools. There will be a lot of this cooperation, and it must also be said that it has already begun. For example, the sugar levy came in, which had to be introduced in concert with other ministries.
