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Public Health Institute Act
2003 no. 18, 26 March
Took effect 1 July 2003.
Art. 1
Objectives
The objective of this Act is to promote public health. Promotion of public health means measures that are intended to maintain and improve the health of the nation, or specified groups of society, by organised and recognised methods.
Art. 2
Authority
A Public Health Institute shall be operated to work towards the objectives of this Act. It shall be under the aegis of the Minister of Health and Social Security. The Minister shall appoint a director of the Public Health Institute for a period of five years. The director is responsible for the operations and finances of the institute, and shall appoint other staff.
Art. 3
Role
The role of the institute is to promote work in public health, co-ordinate it, educate the public on health and improvement of health in collaboration and cooperation with the
Director of Health and others as appropriate, and support the work of agencies and voluntary organisations to promote public health. The Public Health Institute shall advise the authorities on policymaking in the field of public health. The prioritisation of projects shall be in accord with the health plan. The institute monitors the results of public health work, and promotes research in the field of public health, in collaboration with the Director of Health and educational and research agencies.
The principal tasks of the Public Health Institute are:
a. to promote work for public health in collaboration with other parties involved in the field,
b. to carry out measures against alcohol and substance abuse, and for improved nutrition, accident prevention, tobacco control and other preventive and health-promoting tasks on behalf of the Government,
c. to monitor and promulgate new knowledge and experience that may be useful in public health work,
d. regularly to evaluate the results of public health activities, and compare them with the stated objectives,
e. to promote the knowledge and skills of those working for improved public health,
f. to promulgate information to and educate the public, and individual groups in society, in collaboration with the Director of Health and others,
g. to foster the promotion of teaching and research in the field of public health, and collaboration with universities and other educational institutions,
h. to make proposals to the authorities on measures to improve public health and the prioritisation of tasks.
The Minister may define the tasks of the institute in the field of public health more precisely in regulations.
The Public Health Institute may, in consultation with the Minister, make agreements with other parties to carry out tasks which are assigned to the institute by legislation or regulations.
Art. 4
National Public Health Committee
The National Public Health Committee shall advise the Public Health Institute on matters in its field. The committee is appointed by the minister for a period of four years. The chairs of the expert councils specified in art. 5 and the Director of Health, or a representative nominated by him, shall sit on the committee. The Minister of Health and Social Security appoints the chair without prior nomination. The minister shall specify the organisation and role of the committee in more detail in regulations, e.g. with regard to nominations by organisations and agencies working for public health.
Art. 5
Expert councils
The Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention Council, Nutrition Council, Accident Prevention Council and Tobacco Control Council shall function within the Public Health Institute, and shall have the role of expert councils of the Public Health Institute. It is permissible to allocate to them by regulations more extensive tasks than are stated in arts. 6 to 9.
The Minister of Health and Social Security shall issue regulations on the organisation and role of other expert councils. They shall comprise experts and representatives of agencies and organisations in the relevant field. The Director of Health shall nominate one member of each expert council.
Expert councils as provided in paras. 1 and 2 shall, each in its own field, advise the Public Health Institute and others working in prevention.
Art. 6
Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention Council
The role of the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention Council is to promote and foster measures against alcohol and substance abuse, especially among children and young people, and to monitor the observation of legislation and regulations on alcohol and substance abuse.
The council shall foster collaboration and coordination of those bodies involved in prevention of alcohol and substance abuse, such as health-care and other health institutions, local government, police, the educational system, the prison system and voluntary organisations. The Public Health Institute shall be responsible for expenditure from the Prevention Measures Fund as provided in art. 7 of the Alcohol and Tobacco Levy Act no. 96/1995, for projects in the field of prevention of alcohol and substance abuse, in collaboration with the minister, having received proposals from the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention Council.
The Minister of Health and Social Security shall issue regulations specifying the organisation of the council and its work, including the expenditure of funds from the Prevention Measures Fund.
Art. 7
Nutrition Council
The role of the Nutrition Council is to encourage a healthy diet among the nation in accord with nutritional objectives. The Council shall foster coordination of research and education in the field of nutrition in consultation with schools, the health-care service and agencies in the field of food-safety monitoring.
The Minister shall issue regulations which specify the organisation of the council and its work.
Art. 8
Accident Prevention Council
The role of the Accident Prevention Council is to work to reduce the incidence of accidents.
The council shall ensure that standardised records of accidents are maintained. The council shall also arrange for the records to be processed and promulgated. The council draws up rules on how records are to be kept and on access to information from the records. A standardised accident records shall be in the keeping of the Director of Health.
The Minister shall issue regulations which specify the organisation of the council and its work.
Art. 9
Tobacco Control Council
The role of the Tobacco Control Council is to work on preventive measures against use of tobacco.
The Ministry of Finance shall confer with the Tobacco Control Council with regard to policymaking on the import and pricing of tobacco goods.
The Council’s views shall be elicited on all regulations relating to tobacco control and sale of tobacco.
The Public Health Institute shall receive 0.9% of gross tobacco sales, to be devoted to preventive measures against use of tobacco, and the funds shall be expended in consultation with the Minister, the proposals of the Tobacco Control Council have been received.
The Minister shall specify further details of the organisation and role of the Tobacco Control Council in regulations.
Art. 10
Entry into force
This Act shall take force on 1 July 2003.
Translation Anna Yates