Eighty years of the Slovenian Institute of Public Health: challenges for the future.
Eighty years after the first national public health institution was founded in Slovenia, the Institute of Public Health of the Republic of Slovenia (IPHRS) endeavors to meet ever-growing national demands. With the independence of Slovenia in 1991, new tasks had to be tackled, many of which were initially coupled with typical difficulties of a postcommunist country in transition. Also, increasing demands of the European Union (EU) and other international partners had to be met. The IPHRS monitors the health of the Slovenian population and its determinants and contributes to planning and implementation of population-based interventions for the better health of the whole nation. The diversity of the IPHRS activities is mirrored by the organization's internal complexity, multi-disciplinary approach, and links to various sectors. Currently, activities are organized within five centers: Center for Population Health Research; Center for Health Care Organization, Economics and Informatics; Center for Environmental Health; Center for Communicable Diseases; and Center for Health Promotion. The IPHRS is the key national institution in public health research, which is an integral part of all the areas covered by the Institute. The IPHRS also provides education programs in the field of public health. In the near future, it will be important to sustain current activities while integrating into the new program of Community action in the field of public health as well as contributing to the response to challenging public health issues in the wider context of the whole European region. Our aim is to integrate the Institute's activities in the programs relevant to public health issues of outstanding importance in this European sub-region. The IPHRS, given the geographic position and recent history, can act as an intermediate between the public health networks in EU and other countries in the sub-region.
D005544:Forecasting; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D017146:Models, Organizational; D011635:Public Health Administration / Q000266:history* / Q000639:trends; D011641:Public Relations; D012109:Research Support as Topic; D017524:Slovenia; D014146:Training Support