Health starts with the rules of the game

On 19 October, the whitepaper ‘Gezondheidsbescherming als economische noodzaak’ (Health protection as an economic necessity) was published, written by Jochen Mierau, Mariëlle Gebben and Jonas Rosenstok in collaboration with UMCNL and the Aletta Jacobs School of Public Health. Noaber made it possible together with UMCNL and the Samenwerkende Gezondheidsfondsen.

Health is a precondition for a productive economy and a thriving society. According to the authors, chronic illness, burnout and mental health problems among young people are signals that incentives in our economic system produce health damage: the canary in the coal mine. Prevention helps, but it remains mopping with the tap running as long as those incentives remain in place.

The authors therefore argue for setting limits on the health damage we accept as a society, much as the Dutch child labour law of 1874 (the ‘Kinderwetje van Van Houten’) changed the rules around child labour a century and a half ago. To do so, they introduce three concepts:

• Health protection: setting lower limits on structural incentives that cause health damage.

• System health: a situation in which the economy, institutions and living environment produce health.

• Independent health: people can trust that the circumstances in which they live, work and consume support a healthy life.

Prevention and Health in all Policies remain important, complementary strategies. Health protection adds the lower limit that gives both a solid foundation.

The whitepaper ends with an outlook for action towards 2040, along three tracks: what can already be done within existing frameworks, what can be organised nationally and what requires international coordination.

At Noaber, we consider prevention important, and health in general. That is why we support this work, which starts at the basis.

You can download the whitepaper here (in Dutch).