Health Minister Johannes Rauch: A healthy life should never be a question of income
Vienna (OTS) – According to the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for health and well-being. One would think that this requirement is certainly met in rich countries. However, studies show that even in wealthy countries there is a strong connection between socioeconomic status such as education and income and health – and Austria is no exception.
According to Statistics Austria, women and men rate their health better the higher their household income is. The comparison of the lowest and highest income categories shows: Men with the highest income have a 5.4 times higher chance of being in (very) good health, and women have a 4.5 times higher chance of being in good health.
Health Minister Johannes Rauch and President of the Healthy Austria Fund (FGÖ) is convinced: “In a fair health system, access to medical care should not be a question of income or social background. This means that all people in Austria must have the opportunity to take advantage of health-promoting measures and psychosocial support in order to maintain and improve their health.
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Health promotion promotes one health-promoting overall policy (Health in all Policies)
The importance of education and income make it clear that the roots of health inequality cannot be eliminated by the health system alone. “Health is shaped by people’s living environments and depends on factors that cannot primarily be influenced by the health system. For this reason, the Healthy Austria Fund is committed to establishing an overall health-promoting policy in Austria
“, says Klaus Ropin, head of the FGÖ, the national competence and funding agency for health promotion.
Health for all – examples from practice
Projects for vulnerable target groups – submit now
The FGÖ is committed to greater equal health opportunities; vulnerable groups are one of three focus target groups of the current plan, which is valid until 2028 framework work program. “I invite all interested organizations to find out about the possibilities for project funding through the FGÖ. Projects for vulnerable groups of people are given priority funding
“, emphasizes Klaus Ropin.
Questions & Contact:
Fund for Healthy Austria, a division of Gesundheit Österreich GmbH
Mag. Markus Mikl, communication
Tel.: 0676 848191129, Mail: markus.mikl@goeg.at
www.fgoe.org