Health Workforce and Service Delivery, Division of Country Health Policies and Systems, WHO Regional Office for Europe, Marmorvej 51, 2100, Copenhagen Ø, Denmark.
Int J Equity Health. 2024 Oct 18;23(1):214. doi: 10.1186/s12939-024-02175-7.
Health inequalities continue to exacerbate in the European Region, this underlines the need to strengthen the equity impact of public health policies. Nurses and midwives, professional groups that account for 61.8% of the practicing health professionals, work at the point of care, interdisciplinary and see the effects of health inequalities in their everyday work supporting communities and the environment where they are born, live, work and age. The government chief nursing and midwifery officer (GCNMOs) influence, provide policy advice and lead health systems planning and delivery of services. Further to this, it is increasingly being document that they participate in public health policy and inspire others to commit to the implementation of a new vision to strengthen equity impact on population health outcomes. In 2023, a series of discussions with GCNMOs, multidisciplinary researchers and experts, representing 35 of 53 countries in the WHO European Region explored the implications as to how GCNMOs can contribute to addressing the social determinants of health inequalities. Based on this dialogue, we provide a proposal of public health actions for health equity that will benefit from GCNMOs in delivering co-benefits for better health and inclusive growth. These actions can include equity-responsive health systems and health promotion, universal social protection, secure employment and healthy working conditions, environmental protection, education, decent housing, or urban planning among others. Unless governments facilitate the process where GCNMOs have clear mandates, sufficient authority, recognition, and support to engage in policy advocacy, governments will miss out on building fairer and healthier societies that are truly intersectoral and collaborative.
健康不平等在欧洲区域持续加剧，这凸显了加强公共卫生政策公平影响的必要性。护士和助产士是占执业卫生专业人员 61.8%的专业群体，他们在护理点工作，跨学科工作，并在日常工作中看到健康不平等的影响，为他们出生、生活、工作和养老的社区和环境提供支持。政府首席护理和助产士官（GCNMOs）影响、提供政策建议并领导卫生系统规划和服务交付。此外，越来越多的文件表明，他们参与公共卫生政策并激励其他人致力于实施新愿景，以加强对人口健康结果的公平影响。2023 年，与 GCNMOs、多学科研究人员和专家进行了一系列讨论，代表世卫组织欧洲区域的 53 个国家中的 35 个国家探讨了 GCNMOs 如何为解决健康不平等的社会决定因素做出贡献的含义。基于这次对话，我们提出了促进健康公平的公共卫生行动建议，GCNMOs 将从中受益，为更好的健康和包容性增长带来共同效益。这些行动可以包括公平响应的卫生系统和健康促进、普遍的社会保护、有保障的就业和健康的工作条件、环境保护、教育、体面住房或城市规划等。除非政府为 GCNMOs 提供明确的任务、足够的权力、认可和支持，以参与政策倡导，否则政府将错失建设更加公平和健康的社会的机会，这些社会真正是跨部门和协作的。
