Part One: General health protection

The nation defines its health policy in order to guarantee everyone’s right to health protection. Health policy is the responsibility of the State. It aims to promote healthy living conditions, improve the state of health of the population, reduce social and territorial inequalities and promote equality between men and women, and to guarantee the best possible health security and effective access for the population to prevention and care. Health policy…

Health policy is conducted within the framework of a national health strategy defined by the Government under conditions laid down by decree in the Council of State. The national health strategy determines, on a multi-year basis, priority areas for action and objectives for improving health and social protection against disease. One section of the national health strategy determines the priorities of child health policy. The national health strategy also includes…

Health promotion initiatives are based on concerted action and the coordination of all public policies to encourage both the development of individual skills and the creation of physical, social and economic environments conducive to health. Actions aimed at empowering target groups to take responsibility for their own health are encouraged. The aim is to empower people and enable them to take ownership of prevention and health education tools.

Within the scope of their powers and in compliance with the agreements binding them to the State, the managing bodies of the health insurance schemes contribute to the implementation of health policy and the resulting health plans and programmes. They pursue the objectives, defined by the State and implemented by the regional health agencies, aimed at guaranteeing the continuity, coordination and quality of care offered to insured persons, as well…

The purpose of the National Health Conference, a consultative body reporting to the Minister for Health, is to enable consultation on health issues. It is consulted by the Government when the national health strategy is being drawn up. In particular, on the basis of reports drawn up by the regional conferences on health and autonomy, it draws up an annual report on respect for the rights of users of the…

The High Council for Public Health is responsible for: 1° To contribute to the development, annual monitoring and multi-year assessment of the national health strategy; 2° To provide the public authorities, in conjunction with the health agencies and the High Authority for Health, with the expertise needed to manage health risks and to design and evaluate health prevention and safety policies and strategies; 3° To provide the public authorities with…