Warsaw's joining the network was announced by Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski. With the support of Bloomberg Philanthropies and in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) and Vital Strategies, network member cities are taking action to prevent non-communicable diseases (NCDs) - such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes - and traffic accidents.
Researchers will collect data on the health of Varsovians
There are a number of medical facilities in Warsaw, for which universities, the national administration, the Mazovian regional assembly and private entities are the founding bodies. There are also nine municipal hospitals and a network of clinics. Data on the health status of Varsovian men and women is therefore scattered.
As a result of participating in the Healthy Cities Network, using funds provided by Bloomberg Philantropies, researchers from the Medical University of Warsaw (WUM) plan to implement the project "Healthy Warsaw. Evidence-based assessment and monitoring of population health." It aims to develop a methodology for studying the health status of Varsovians. The task undertaken by the team from MUW is to indicate from where and what data to draw in order to obtain a complete, up-to-date picture of the health situation of Warsaw residents.
- Knowledge of residents' health is important for us local government officials, among others, to plan city-funded health programs or investments. This is especially important now, when the city is in a difficult financial situation. But it is also a very important project for the government authorities, which, as part of the National Health Fund, allocate specific funds from the state budget for the health security of Poles - says Renata Kaznowska, deputy mayor of Warsaw.
The model to be prepared by MUW provides for regular data updates. The project is to be implemented by the university until the end of 2023, and the data collected is expected to help answer questions about what the health needs of residents are, which problems are increasing, etc.
- When talking about factors affecting the health of the population, it is important to consider more than just issues directly related to the health care system. In fact, individual choices about how we live our daily lives - whether we spend time actively or eat healthily - are decisive. We are taking a broad perspective and want to propose a diverse set of indicators - says the project's content manager, Mariusz Panczyk, MD, PhD, of the Faculty of Health Sciences MUW.
The collected data is to be graphically compiled in an accessible and interactive form and will be made available to residents.
The City Hall and Medical University of Warsaw together for a healthy Warsaw
Warsaw's participation in the Partnership for Healthy Cities is a joint project between MUW and City Hall. The long-standing cooperation in deepening knowledge, exchanging experiences and conducting joint projects has been strengthened by an agreement signed in March this year by Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski and Prof. Zbigniew Gaciong, Rector of the Medical University of Warsaw.
The agreement will be implemented in fields that MUW specializes in, which are key to the health care system. These include medicine, emergency medicine, nursing and health sciences. The city will be able to benefit from the expertise in planning activities to protect the health of its residents at the city's medical entities.
Compiled from materials provided by Warsaw City Hall
Photography: Rafał Motyl