The role of national public health institutes in health infrastructure development

doi:10.1136/bmj.39356.406377.BE

BMJ 2007;335:834-835 (27 October), doi:10.1136/bmj.39356.406377.BE (published 22 October 2007)

Editorials

The role of national public health institutes in health infrastructure development

Science based and often relatively apolitical, they deserve10% of donors' funds

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Modern day challenges to public health systems include—aswell as infectious and chronic diseases—the need to improveenvironmental health, occupational health, and mental health;to reduce injuries; to strengthen systems for delivering publichealth services; and to prepare for unanticipated problems andemergencies, such as natural disasters and bioterrorism.

Public health services have developed in a less consistent mannerthan medical services in hospitals, clinics, and primary care.But, from 19th century pioneers of public health such as Farr,Chadwick, and Snow in England; Shattuck in the United States;and Frank, Villerme, and Virchow on the European continent,¹to Yen and Grant in Ding County, China,² disciplines and skillshave evolved into a set of recognised essential public healthcapacities. As defined by the Pan American Health Organization³and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),⁴such capacities permit a nation—through its public healthauthorities—to recognise, measure, and . . . [Full text of this article]

Jeffrey P Koplan, director¹, Courtenay Dusenbury, director², Pekka Jousilahti, secretary general³, Pekka Puska, director general⁴

¹ Emory Global Health Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA, ² International Association of National Public Health Institutes (IANPHI) Sub-Secretariat, Emory Global Health Institute, ³ IANPHI Secretariat, National Public Health Institute (KTL), FI-00300 Helsinki, Finland , ⁴ National Public Health Institute (KTL)

jkoplan@emory.edu

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