Growth and public health. Tommy Aspegren, FRUSAM.

1. Growth and public health
A never ending competition or a
prosperous cooperation?

2. This presentation
• Some of the ideas out of a joint
project with seven Swedish
regions (or likewise) – responsibel
for health care and for growth
within their own regions - and two
national institutes.

3. FRUSAM
Folkhälsa och Regional Utveckling i SAMverkan
Ett samarbetsprojekt
• Region Skåne, projektägare
• Västra Götalandsregionen
• Regionförbundet Uppsala län
• Region Halland
• Jämtlands läns landsting
• Statens Folkhälsoinstitut (The Swedish National Institute of Public
Health)
• Norrbottens läns landsting
• Östsam
• Tillväxtanalys (Swedish Agency for Growth Policy Analysis)

4. What initiated the project
• Those working with health and health care on
the one hand and those planning for regional
growth on the other hand don´t really know in
wich ways their own work affects the others.
• Even less knowledge is around about how to
take advantege of each other - thereby missing
an increase in health as well as in GDP
• They definitely should

5. Competition?
Our quest for growth
• A quest to create resources to achieve a
better health, environment and welfare in
our societies.
Source. SCB; Bakgrundsfakta 2005:1
The overall objective for the public health work
Create societal prerequisites for a good health
at equal conditions for the hole population
Source: Regeringens proposition 2007/08:110).

6. Public Health and Growth
1. Suhrke et al (“The contribution of health to the
economy in the European Union”)
Health is wealth!
2. Stiglitz-Sen-Fitoussi(“Commission on the
Measurement of Economic Performance and Social
Progress”)
There is a need for better working indicators for Measuring
REAL PROGRESS – beyond GDP
3. Marmot”Closing the Gap” (” Commission on Social
Determinants of Health”)

7. GDP and social health –
social sustainability?
Looking at an example from USA

8. Index of social health
16 indicators
Children Adults All Ages
Unemployment
Infant mortality Average weekly Homicides
Child abuse wages Alcohol-related
Child poverty Health insurance traffic fatalities
coverage Food stamp
coverage
Youth Elderly
Access to
Teenage suicide Poverty, ages 65 affordable
Teenage drug and over housing
abuse Out-of-pocket Income inequality
High school health costs,
dropouts ages 65 and over

9. From the Stiglitz report
Ford Carter Reagan Bush Clinton Bush

10. Marmot ”Closing the Gap”

11. GDP is inadequate!
• Doesn´t show societal progress or development.
• Doesn´t show wether the money earned is good
or bad for the society or environment.
• Doesn´t tell about anything but how much
money is spinning around
• GDP has accidentally - not as a result of serious
thinking - become synonymous with growth.
• We need more adequate indicators.
• I agree with the Stiglitz Commission

12. What can we do?
• Try talking, meeting and learning from
each other – nothing new here!
• Cooperation can be difficult and awake
feelings that You don´t like – like envy,
suspiciousness and anger – it´s normal
shit!
• Endure and go on – it will pass!

13. What can we do?
• Regions normally have one program för
regional development and one for public
health (and they don´t read each others)
• STOP THAT
• Make one program for regional
development including public health – it´s
really the same goal.
• The participating regions tend do that now

14. What can You do
• Read the FRUSAM home page
• A framework for how to work with and
develop those things.
• An ”instruction manual” for sustainable
Regional Development Programs.
• Ideas about how to get further into a more
sustainable society.

15. www.frusam.se
Kontakt
Tommy Aspegren, projektledare
+46(0)44-309 35 25 tommy.aspegren@skane.se
Gunne Arnesson Lövgren, ordf. styrgruppen
+46(0)44-309 31 33
Gunne.ArnessonLövgren@skane.se