International conference "Working for health equity" (video / photos / presentations included)

About the conference.

Ministry of Health of the Republic of Lithuania in cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe have organized an international conference “Working together for health equity“, which was held November 27, 2014 in the Office of the Government of Republic of Lithuania. Conference was organized in the framework of 2009−2014 Norwegian financial mechanism Programme “Public Health Initiatives”.

The main aim of the conference was to present the scope of health inequities, analyse available experience in the field and strengthen cross-sectorial collaboration as well as engagement of other social partners in action for reducing social inequalities in health thus contributing to the sustainable development of the country as a whole.

The conference was attended by numerous participants, among which were representatives of WHO/EURO, Royal Norwegian Embassy, foreign experts and guest from United Kingdom, Norway, Slovenia, Poland and as well as Lithuanian state and municipal level policy makers from health and other policy sectors, health specialists, academic society, representatives of business and non-governmental sector.

Moments of the International conferece "Working together for health equity" (video)

Moments of the International conferece "Working together for health equity" (photos)

Presentations made during the conference:

SESSION 1:

Health Inequalities and Response Policy in Lithuania (available only in lithuanian). Minister of Health Rimantė Šalaševičiūtė

Health inequality causes and responses: action on the social determinants of health. Prof. Sir Michael Marmot, Director, Institute of Health Equity, UK

Investing for Equity in Health: current perspectives, trends and and examples. Chris Brown, Programme Manager, WHO European Office for Investment for Health and Development, Italy

Tackling socio-economic inequalities in health: what can economics bring to the table? Miqdad Asaria, Centre for Health Economics, University of York, UK

SESSION 2:

Experience in tackling social inequalities in health in Norway. Tone Poulsson Torgersen, Department of Social Determinants of Health, Norwegian Directorate of Health, Norway

Managing Intersectoral Action for Health and Development: Lessons from Slovenia. Peter Beznec, Center for Health and Development Murska Sobota (WHO Collaborating Centre for Cross Sectoral Approaches to Health and Development), Slovenia

Economics of health and wellbeing in Lithuania (available only in lithuanian). Prof. dr. Gediminas Černiauskas, Mykolas Romeris University, Faculty of Economics and Finance Management, Department of Economics

SESSION 3:

Health equity and social security (available only in lithuanian). Algis Šešelgis, Viceminister of Social Security and Labour

The role of the Ministry of Education and Science in improvement of child health (available only in lithuanian). Irena Ramelytė, Adviser to the Minister of Education and Science

Sustainable development – mowing towards green industry (available only in lithuanian). Kęstutis Masalskis, Director of the Industry, service and trade department, Ministry of Economy

Strategic partnership for public health and health equity: municipalities’ experience (available only in lithuanian). Laima Kaveckienė, Member of the Committee on Health of the Association of Local Authorities in Lithuania, Member of the National Health Board, Head of the Health Care Division of the Klaipėda District Municipality

How to balance responsibility for employees health between employers and public sector (available only in lithuanian). Jūratė Zarankienė, Adviser to Director General of the Lithuanian Business employers' confederation

Experiences and possibilities of the non-governmental sector to influence public health policy (available only in lithuanian). Nijolė Goštautaitė Midttun, Board Member of the Lithuanian National Tobacco and Alcohol Control Coalition

Evidence for equity oriented health policy development: challenges and possibilities (available only in lithuanian). Prof. habil. dr. Ramunė Kalėdienė, Dean of the Faculty of Public Health, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences