Health in All Policies: Management Model for the Comprehensive Transformation of the System

Abstract

he essay explores the components of the approach health in all policies as a management model based on primary health care and its basic principles for health promotion described in the Ottawa Charter and the Adelaide Declaration: citizen participation and community empowerment, intersectorality, personal skills development, timely technologies and governance processes on social determinants of health. In this sense, we propose the transformation of the health system based on the construction of a comprehensive program for the strengthening of the organization through mechanisms of collaboration between the State and the Society, privileging equity and justice in defense of human rights. The document collects lessons learned from practices on the development and strengthening of “Sistemas Locales de Salud” and the Project “Municipios Hacia la Salud” in Venezuela (1989-2000), as well as experiences in other countries. The proposal is presented as a management model for the design, implementation, and governance of redistributive policies with a perspective of multisectoral strategic plan. We conclude that to be effective and efficient, these initiatives need better processes of political and functional decentralization, strong political and executive leadership, inclusive citizen participation, integrality between health and social goals and objectives, consensual planning between society and governments and; continuous accompaniment, monitoring and evaluation.