Xunta President Alfonso Rueda announced today that on September 25, influenza and coronavirus vaccination campaigns will begin in the community’s residences for the elderly and people with disabilities. The president stressed that “vaccination plays a fundamental role in preventing disease and promoting more proactive health care” that takes action before health problems occur. This is one of the main objectives of the Galicia Health Strategy 2030, which is being tackled following an assessment at the Council’s weekly meeting today.
Rueda explained that the strategy “is a roadmap to address future health challenges” and was developed after the pandemic “clearly demonstrated the need for further integration of existing health policies”. In fact, as the President emphasized, “This is the first time that priorities for public health, patient care and health research have been jointly planned.”
The approval of this comprehensive plan is a mandate from the reform of Galicia’s health law approved by the regional parliament after the severe phase of the epidemic.
As stated by Health Minister Julio García Comesaña, the strategy has 20 plans and up to 100 lines of action. One of the main goals is a more proactive approach by the Galician public system, increasing activities that are carried out without waiting for health problems to arise: from epidemiological surveillance activities to preventive actions such as vaccination or screening. Health initiatives and local health programs to promote healthy lifestyles, improve general health and prevent the onset of disease.
Along these lines, the MP stressed that Galicia “has a childhood vaccination program and screening Spain’s “most complete newborn”, the Galician community is the first to announce that “it will include screening for lung and prostate cancer as well as age extension for breast cancer.”
Another goal of the strategy is to move towards more comprehensive and personalized care, adapted to the high number of chronically ill and complex patients in Galicia. Promote the connection between the level of care and the level of social health, implement integrated care processes, multidisciplinary units, strengthen capillary action in rural areas, home care, remote monitoring and expand patient-system communication mechanisms, as well as promote precision medicine and adapt to each individual patient treatment techniques.
In addition, innovative integration mechanisms will be designed.The congressman said that the healthcare field is undergoing disruptive advances involving fundamental changes in a short period of time, and systems must have the tools to flexibly integrate these changes, which means “commitment to innovation in healthcare and healthcare R&D” “Build greater connections with the innovation ecosystem”; launch the eighth health sector to provide remote technical support to physical areas; develop innovative public procurement mechanisms to incorporate new systems or technologies; Integrate digital transformation tools into users’ relationships and provide professionals with artificial intelligence or Big Data.
The new strategy will also increase transparency of health system outcomes. It is recommended to strengthen Sergas’ analytical capabilities, establish a health outcomes information and analysis department, and improve the patient experience measurement mechanism to design an indicator system and develop a reporting mechanism based on health outcomes. Examples include multi-year management agreements with the health sector or a performance evaluation model for professionals, as well as providing transparency tools to citizens that provide high-quality information on the activity and performance of system resources and health data on the Galician population.
Finally, the roadmap also attributes to giving health a greater transversality in public policy beyond the Ministry of Health. An interdepartmental health committee will be established to coordinate the health impacts of different policies in the new tower on areas such as education, the economy or transport, and a “One Health” approach will be strengthened to align environmental and animal health policies. public health.
The strategy also integrates a gender perspective into its diagnostics and future measures, prioritizing health issues where gender inequalities exist and strengthening active equality policies for health personnel. It also foresees the health impacts of climate change and includes sustainability actions consistent with recent circular economy strategies.
Participatory process and transparent handling
Today, the text was initially approved by the Xunta Council with the participation of more than 60 professionals from governing bodies and health centers, and through 18 working meetings, 150 representatives from professional associations, scientific associations, universities, patient associations, trade union organizations and medical institutions were gathered. Entity recommendations. Other entities in the health sector. It is aligned with the European Health Strategy and the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The document will be published immediately on the transparent and open government portal of the Autonomous Community of Galicia, open to complaints and suggestions from citizens.
The strategy text will then undergo a gender impact analysis and will be presented to the different engagement and advisory bodies of the Ministry of Health. The final version of the document will be presented again to the Xunta Council for final approval and to the Galician Parliament, where it will be presented to political groups in a specific form by the Minister of Health.