They’re not for everyone but I love a good quote.
I like to chew on them; taste the meaning.
So, with that disclaimer out of the way, let me start with an old adage: health is wealth. This nugget of wisdom seems to be enjoying a bit of a renaissance at the moment.
Back in 2010, one of the key messages in Fair Society, Healthy Lives: the Marmot Review was: economic growth is not the most important measure of our country’s success. The fair distribution of health, wellbeing and sustainability are important social goals.
Brought into stark focus by the COVID-19 pandemic, governments across the world are now increasingly positioning health and economic growth as two sides of the same coin, with the mantra of inclusive growth gaining some (but still, in my view, nowhere near enough) traction.
In May 2024, the 77th World Health Assembly passed a resolution to take forward the recommendations of the WHO (World Health Organization) council on the Economics of Health for All. The resolution recognises the critical relationship between health and the economy, and sets out a path for member states, financial institutions and others to better align actions with a clear focus on health goals.
So… are we seeing the beginnings of a true paradigm shift? Will future economies be focused on inclusive and sustainable human development, rather than growth?
The annual public health medicine conference in March is themed: the political economies of health. We want to get beneath the skin of the economy, and understand how the shape of the economy impacts on distribution of wealth and opportunity.
Making public health policy
We know that public health is really about tackling health inequality and the reality is that this is about social inequality, with deprivation consistently linked to poorer outcomes.
Here’s another quote: the opposite of poverty is not wealth; the opposite of poverty is justice (Bryan Stevenson).
The fundamental role of public health is to tackle, in Sir Michael Marmot’s words, ‘the causes of the causes’ – ultimately, it is the pursuit of social justice.
The conference gives us the space to hear from thought leaders, academics and policy makers in public health. It gives members the opportunity to attend workshops and develop public health skills. It is also, importantly, a major arena for the making of policy for the public health branch of practice, with the motions passed informing the future work of the public health medicine committee and key motions selected for further debate at the BMA’s annual representative meeting.
Finally, it is an opportunity to engage with the BMA as the trade union representing public health doctors, with representatives from all nations of the UK, consultants and registrars. We also welcome members from other branches of practice, those with an interest in public health or seeking a career in public health, and public health specialist colleagues from other professional backgrounds as observers.
The conference is also where you get an update from the public health medicine committee on work done in the last year.
Now is the time to act
I have been on the organising committee of the conference for four years now – two as co-chair – and am delighted that the numbers attending have steadily grown.
I am particularly excited about this year’s conference because I feel that for so long, action on the wider determinants of health has lacked focus, or been regarded as too difficult, but we are in a moment now when the bi-directional relationship between health and wealth is being addressed with purpose and momentum.
Health is now seen as an asset to be invested in, rather than a drain on resources. Or at the very least, health is a necessary pre-requisite to productivity.
The public health medicine conference is a key forum in which we, as public health doctors, decide how we shape this moment. As the public health medicine committee exists to represent and act on the concerns of members, conference representatives are urged to submit motions for debate. If passed, the motions can be taken forward for action within the BMA’s policy-making process.
The deadline for the receipt of motions is Monday 3 February, and the agenda committee is hosting a motion writing workshop on Monday 27 January, from 12 noon to 2pm, for those wanting help drafting and crafting their motions.
There is no doubt that we have much more to do in implementing an upstream intention in the creation of health. But at least the conversation has shifted. This is a drum that the public health profession has been banging for decades, but it feels like the opportunity is greater than ever before.
Find out more about the pre-conference motion writing workshop and how to register.
Ishani Kar-Purkayastha is co-chair of the BMA public health medicine conference