What is Health Policy

Question 1

What is Policy?

Answer 1

• Broad statement of goals, objectives and means that create the framework for activity.
• made by organizations and individuals
• can be written documents, or implicit/ unwritten
• Decisions taken by those with responsibility for a given policy area
• ex. dress code at high school

Question 2

What is Public Policy?

Answer 2

• a course of action or inaction chosen by public authorities, specifically government officials, to address a given problem…”
• anything a government chooses to do or not to do

Question 3

What is “Health Policy”?

Answer 3

• courses of action (and inaction) that affect the set of institutions, organizations, services and funding arrangements of the health and health care system
• Policies that have to do with health
• Policies created by health agencies/ organizations
• Can be both public and private
• ex. policies made by WHO

Question 4

What is “Health Public Policy”?

Answer 4

• Public policies outside of the health sector “characterized by an explicit concern for health and equity in all areas of policy by an accountability for health impact”

Question 5

Example of Healthy Public Policy

Answer 5

Ex 1. Age restrictions in the consumption and purchase of alcohol.
- aim is to improve the conditions under which people live (ie. lifestyles)
- alcohol is outside of the healthcare sector

Ex 2. Municipal Alcohol Policy (MAP)
- Toronto promotes health through a responsible approach to the serving + consumption of alcohol
- geared toward event organizer

Question 6

Policy” vs “Program”

Answer 6

Policy: Broad statement of goals, objectives and means that create the framework for activity
- ex. To reduce # of overdoses and deaths caused by opioids (ex. fentanyl)
- Politics is the art or science concerned with guiding or influencing governmental policy
- “…understanding the politics of the policy process is arguably as important as understanding how medicine improves health.”

Program: Activity that organizes or delivers a service or goods to achieve a policy’s objectives
- ex. Ontario Naloxone Program for Pharmacies (free Naloxone kits)

Question 7

Federal Mandate Letters

Answer 7

• letters to ministers from prime minister of what policy he wants to implement
• clearly outlined policies
• Mandates are good for holding government accountable - has goal been achieved?

Question 8

Controversy with doug fords mandate letters

Answer 8

refused to release them to the public - public not aware of decision making

Question 9

Blood donation as example of health policy

Answer 9

Canadian blood services work with government but not government owned to expand eligibility for gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men
should gay men be able to donate blood?????

Question 10

Relationship bw Politics & Policy

Answer 10

Politics - art/science concerned with guiding or influencing governmental policy

• May be political reasons why a policy arises
  Political influence on policy

Question 11

Canada’s Law On Abortion

Answer 11

Morgentaler (1988) effectively removed all criminal laws regulating abortion in Canada
There are therefore no explicit laws pertaining to abortion in Canada, and so it is technically legal at all stages of pregnancy