“It is essential to advance the One Health approach because health risks and threats are changing”

Aragon will be based on the One Health concept for the reform of the Public Health Administration, with the aim of facing new challenges and emerging diseases.

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The concept One Health will guide the reform of the Aragonese Administration in matters of Public Health, according to the general director of Public Health of the Government of Aragon, Nuria Gayán, in an appearance where she explained the steps taken this last year with the aim of facing new challenges. and emerging diseases.

The formula chosen is to transform the current General Directorate of Public Health into the Institute of Public Health of Aragon, as indicated by Gayán before the Health Commission of the Cortes of Aragon.

The general director has listed the reasons that force this reform, such as the need to strengthen surveillance and preparation to face new global risks and threats to Public Health, such as future pandemics, multi-resistant microorganisms or exposure to extreme temperatures. This challenge includes the need to strengthen Public Health alert systems.

Likewise, Gayán has stressed, “it is essential to advance in the new approach One Health (One Health) because health risks and threats are changing, and interactions between human, animal and environmental health are growing.”

As detailed, 60% of known human infectious diseases are of animal origin, as are 75% of the pathogens of emerging human infectious diseases. “An important means of pathogen transmission is the food chain, in which continuous imports and exports are a challenge. They are also vehicles that control drinking water and in general exposure to environmental risks,” he commented.

The general director has also considered that it is necessary to “resolve the historical underfunding of public health services, in human and economic resources”, as well as involve the entire health system in the development of public health programs and complete the transformation process digital and networking.

Nuria Gayán has indicated that there is scientific evidence that investment in Public Health “has a very important economic return” since it produces cost savings for healthcare services and an improvement in GDP. But, in addition, it generates health and allows more years of life.

Post-pandemic era

Nuria Gayán has mentioned the report “Evaluation of the performance of the Spanish national health system in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic”, which has given rise to a roadmap with 72 measures, including a significant increase in obligations for the Autonomous Communities in the post-pandemic era, which partly emanates from European regulations.

In this context, the State Administration has promoted the creation of the State Public Health Agency, which will assume powers from the General Directorate of Public Health and the Carlos III Institute.

Gayán has maintained that the creation of this public body “has marked a path to follow” and the majority of the Autonomous Communities are opting for this path, which allows them to achieve their own identity, incorporate multidisciplinarity, with new professional profiles and hiring of staff, as well as having its own budget and management autonomy.

In reference to this, he recalled the desire of the Government of Aragon “to ensure that Zaragoza houses the headquarters of the State Public Health Agency and we are putting all our efforts into this.”