The creation of the State Public Health Agency (AESAP) is a crucial issue to strengthen Spain’s response to public health challenges. In a context where the need for a coordinated, effective and independent health response becomes increasingly evident, the Spanish Society of Public Health and Health Administration (SESPAS) has stepped forward to lead the push for this ambitious project. With the recent meeting held with the Health spokespersons of various parliamentary groups of the Congress of Deputies, SESPAS has made it clear that the creation of the AESAP is a fundamental pillar for the future of public health in Spain.
Open dialogue
Last Monday, SESPAS met with representatives of the Popular Party (PP), Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE), Vox, Sumar and EH Bildu at the headquarters of the Congress of Deputies in Madrid. This meeting had The objective is to debate the amendments presented to the draft Law of the State Public Health Agency and to lay the foundations for a broad parliamentary consensus that allows the implementation of this body.
“It is essential that the AESAP be the core of real coordination of public health in Spain”
Eduardo Satue, president of SESPAS
During the meeting, SESPAS stressed the importance of AESAP not only being an operational entity, but also being independent, sustainable and effective in its governance. The Agency’s independence is a key aspect to ensure that its decisions and actions are based on scientific and technical criteria, and not on political considerations. As pointed out Eduardo Satué, president of SESPAS“it is essential that the AESAP be the core of real coordination of public health in Spain, ensuring the scientific work and technical solvency of its members, regardless of political color.”
Governance
One of the most discussed aspects during the meeting was the governance of the AESAP. SESPAS insisted that the Agency must be made up of highly qualified professionals with solid scientific-technical training, capable of acting with independence and technical judgment. For this, SESPAS advocated for a structure that facilitates collaborative work between professionals and promotes continuous training and updating of knowledge.. This collaboration must not only occur between the members of the AESAP, but also with the different administrative levels of the country, such as the autonomous communities and municipalities.
“The Agency must be able to attract and retain professionals with high scientific-technical capabilities for both management staff and technical functions”
Eduardo Satue, president of SESPAS
Another fundamental axis of the discussion was the Agency sustainability. For the AESAP to be effective and last over time, it is essential that it has adequate resources, both economic and human. Eduardo Satué emphasized the importance of the Agency being able to “attract and retain professionals with high scientific-technical capabilities for both management personnel and technical functions.” The quality of the professionals who make up the AESAP will be one of the determining factors to guarantee its long-term success.
Effective Public Health
SESPAS also highlighted the need for AESAP to function as a work networkcapable of coordinating with the different levels of the health administration and facilitating the exchange of information between professionals and the population. This is essential to ensure effective public health surveillance throughout the country. The AESAP must be a reference in the evaluation of health policies, providing reliable data and recommendations based on scientific evidence to improve the health of the population..
“The creation of a State Public Health Agency that functions in an integrated and coordinated manner is a necessary and urgent response”
The challenge of public health surveillance has gained particular relevance after the COVID-19 pandemic, which revealed the weaknesses of health systems in many countries, including Spain, with regard to coordination and response to emergencies. sanitary. In this context, The creation of a State Public Health Agency that functions in an integrated and coordinated manner is a necessary and urgent response. SESPAS advocates that AESAP be able to anticipate future health crises through proactive surveillance and rapid response capacity.
Consensus
The meeting held with the parliamentary groups turned out to be very productive. All the parties represented agreed on the need to move forward with the Law of the State Public Health Agency and expressed their willingness to dialogue to reach a consensus. As indicated Elvira Velasco, PP Health spokesperson“it’s nothing new. It is important that the Law comes out, if it is unanimous, the better, since many things are shared.” These statements reflect a broad consensus around the need for AESAP to become a reality as soon as possible.
“The groups still do not know what the Government thinks about the amendments presented. Furthermore, all groups expressed their willingness to sit down and talk.”
Elvira VelascoPP Health spokesperson
Velasco also referred to the lack of clarity about the Government’s position in relation to the amendments presented: “The groups still do not know what the Government thinks about the amendments presented. Furthermore, all groups expressed their willingness to sit down and talk.”. This highlights the importance of the Executive clarifying its position and contributing to the dialogue so that the project moves forward without delay.
For its part, SESPAS gave a positive assessment of the meeting and stressed the need for AESAP to be an independent and technically sound body, capable of coordinating public health policies throughout the country. “The objective is to achieve unanimity in the approval of the AESAP so that it becomes the core of real coordination of public health in Spain,” Satué emphasized.
The Role of SESPAS
SESPAS and its federated societies have offered to collaborate closely with the Ministry of Health and the Health Commission of the Congress of Deputies in the development and implementation of the State Public Health Agency Law. The Company makes available its knowledge and experience in the preparation of the Agency’s statutes, in order to guarantee that this body meets the highest scientific-technical standards.
“SESPAS and its scientific societies are fully available to continue working on the Agency’s statutes, contributing with our knowledge and experience to ensure that the AESAP”
In the words of Eduardo Satué, “SESPAS and its scientific societies are fully available to continue working on the Agency’s statutes, contributing with our knowledge and experience to ensure that the AESAP “becomes the reference that Spain needs in terms of public health.”
Strengthening Public Health
The creation of the State Public Health Agency represents a historic opportunity to improve Spain’s response to growing public health demands. SESPAS has demonstrated its commitment to this project, leading the dialogue with parliamentary groups and providing constructive proposals to ensure that the AESAP is an independent, efficient and sustainable body.
The creation of the AESAP represents a historic opportunity to improve Spain’s response to growing public health demands
The political will expressed by all parties at the recent meeting is an encouraging step towards achieving this goal. Coordination between the different actors involved will be key for the Agency to not only become a reality, but also to fulfill its mission of improving public health in Spain. As has become clear at this stage of the debate, Consensus, independence and technical quality are the pillars on which the future AESAP must be built, an organization that will be at the center of the country’s public health policies.