PHS 202- Principle of Health Science Management

A problem being experienced in probably the majority of countries across the world is that the public health function is still not receiving firm enough support at political level. 12 Even where that commitment appears to exist, and there are signs of a new-found commitment to public health, under-resourcing of the public health infrastructure and capacity prevents public health from playing the strong role advocated for it. As a consequence, the levels of health achieved by populations are seriously below what could be obtained if application of current knowledge in public health was pursued more vigorously through a stronger public health approach and infrastructure (WHO). Modern public health practice is considerably more complex in the 21st century than it was 100 years or so ago when some of the great advances in public health were achieved. It includes not merely scientific and technical practice but also the knowledge and skills to build effective coalitions and partnerships for health and collectively to manage actions for health improvement. This applies to both national and international health efforts. This focus on managing for health has been described as public health management (PHM).