The times given in the conference program correspond to Japan Standard Time (JST).
Equity in health and the role of hospitals: Perspectives from Japan
Download Presentation
Department of Health Informatics, Kyoto University
Takeo Nakayama is a Professor in the Department of Health Informatics, School of Public Health, Kyoto University (KUSPH). He obtained his MD from Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) in 1987. Dr Nakayama began his academic career as an Assistant Professor at the TMDU Medical Research Institute from 1989 to 1999. He further advanced his expertise as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the UCLA School of Public Health from 1998 to 1999.
He then led the Division of Epidemiology and Cancer Information as Section Head at the National Cancer Center Research Institute between 1999 and 2000. From 2000 to 2006, he was an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Informatics at KUSPH, before assuming his current role in 2006. Between 2016 and 2019, Dr Nakayama served as the Dean of KUSPH and the Vice Dean of the Graduate School of Medicine at Kyoto University.
NAKAYAMA, Takeo
Deeply rooted in social justice, health equity means eliminating unnecessary disparities among various populations defined by social, economic, demographic, and geographic factors. In Japan, known for its universal health coverage system, achieving health equity remains a key challenge for policy makers and health care providers.
This lecture will discuss the important role hospitals play in promoting health equity in Japan. As primary health care providers, hospitals are essential to ensuring equitable access to health care services and improving health outcomes. However, despite Japan's comprehensive healthcare system, disparities in health status and access to healthcare remain.
We analyze these disparities and their origins, and consider how hospitals can address them. We will also discuss the unique challenges facing Japanese hospitals, such as an aging population, and their impact on health equity.
Universal Health Coverage: As an active partner of the World Health Organization (WHO), Japan emphasizes its commitment to achieving universal health coverage worldwide. Japan's healthcare system guarantees universal access and contributes significantly to Japan's exemplary health outcomes.
Achieving Health Equity: Japan has made significant progress over the past 50 years, achieving excellent national health at minimal cost while reducing disparities among different population groups.
Role of Hospitals: Despite a strong healthcare system, disparities remain. Hospitals are critical to ensuring equitable access and improving health outcomes.
Challenges: Japan's aging population presents unique health equity challenges. In addition, health crises from natural disasters and pandemics, as well as emerging conflicts in various parts of the world, pose a growing threat to the security of human existence.
Future Directions: Japan is actively pursuing health reform to contain costs, improve quality, and promote equity; as a key WHO ally, Japan is critical to global health security efforts, especially in emergency situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
I sincerely hope that this plenary session will contribute to a broader dialogue on health equity and guide future policy initiatives.
Fostering equity and wellbeing through HPH networks - What needs to be done?
Health and Sustainable Development FoundationInternational HPH Network (Task Force on HPH & Age-friendly Health Care)International Union for Health Promotion and Education
Professor Shu-Ti Chiou, Chair of International Task Force on Health Promoting Hospitals and Age-Friendly Health Care, and Elected Member of the Global Executive Board of the International Union for Health Promotion and Education, is a specialist of Family Medicine, Ph.D. in epidemiology and Professor of Health Policy. She is also the associate editor of Global Health Promotion, the Founding President of Health and Sustainable Development Foundation, Vice Chair of Taiwan Parliamentary Strong-Generation Policies and Economic Development Commission, and President of the Association of the Top Ten Outstanding Young Women in Taiwan.
Professor Chiou is the founder of Taiwan Network of Health Promoting Hospitals (HPH). She promoted it to become the largest HPH network in the world and was elected the Chair of Governance Board of International Network of Health Promoting Hospitals and Health Services 2012-2014. She founded the Task Force on Health Promoting Hospitals and Environment and served as its Chair from 2010 to 2014, and the Task Force on Health Promoting Hospitals and Age-Friendly Health Care in 2012 and serves as the Chair from then on.
In Taiwan, Professor Chiou has been the director of two local health bureaus and the Director-General of Health Promotion Administration.
CHIOU, Shu-Ti
Health equity cannot be achieved without tackling the upstream social, environmental, commercial/economic, and political determinants of health. These involve broader societal development beyond the traditional territory of health sector. This closing keynote will discuss why HPH networks (HPH-Ns) should play a significant role to foster health equity in the community, and how.
Determinants of health affect people at all stages of their health status, placing additional pressure on health systems and harming social productivity and cohesion. As pointed out by the World Health Organization (WHO), “advancing health and well-being is inextricably linked to advancing progress with respect to the related Sustainable Development Goals, health determinants and risk factors”. In the 14th General Programme of Work (2025-2028), WHO listed "addressing health determinants and the root causes of ill health" and "responding to climate change" as the two key strategic objectives for health promotion, and put emphasis on both health sector and intersectoral actions that foster well-being and health equity as co-benefits across sectors and put health outcomes at the center of relevant policies and processes.
Seen as leaders and experts in health promotion, HPH networks (HPH-Ns) can play a leading role to advocate for equity and wellbeing by harnessing the power of data to visualize the existence health inequalities and health determinants, and using their influence to call for collaborative changes towards a fairer society.
Education and training should be provided to HPH leaders, staff, and future health professionals, to increase their literacy on determinants of health and broaden their perspective from the individuals to the system.
HPH-Ns could also help increase literacy on determinants of health among political leaders and community partners through working with the community to identify priority health problems, their key determinants, and policy interventions involving other key sectors, such as education, transport, food and agricultural systems, social policy, workplaces, and housing, that improve health equity across the life course through better living and working conditions.
HPH-Ns can support their members to lead by example, leveraging their roles as employers, managers and commissioners. They can also demonstrate how synergies might be created between different determinants of health to foster equity and wellbeing of people and planet.
Progresses should then be monitored, celebrated and continuously improved.
By fostering equity and wellbeing with and in the communities, HPH-Ns are supporting their members to demonstrate best practices in ESG.
CEO of the International HPH Secretariat, OptiMedis AG, Hamburg, Germany
Professor Dr Oliver Groene is CEO of the International Network of Health Promoting Hospitals and Health Services and Vice Chairman of the Board at the population health management company OptiMedis AG, where the Network's secretariat is hosted.
He also holds the position of Professor at the Department of Management, Economics and Society at the University of Witten/Herdecke, Germany. Previously, he was Associate Professor in Health Services Research at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Manager of the "Quality of Health Systems Programme" at the World Health Organization.
He holds an MSc and PhD in Public Health and an MA in medical sociology and organizational sciences. Oliver Groene publishes widely on quality of care and health services research topics (H-index: 45).
Technical Officer for Health Systems and Quality of Care, WHO Athens Office
Válter R. Fonseca, MD PhD is Technical Officer for Health Systems and Quality of Care at the WHO Athens Office on Quality of Care and Patient Safety, WHO European Region (2023 - present).
Medical Degree (MD), by the Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon. Specialization in Internal Medicine. PhD in Medicine - Immunology. Postgraduation in Healthcare Management by the Católica Lisbon School of Business & Economics.
Director of the Department of Healthcare Quality, Directorate-General of Health, Ministry of Health, Portugal (2018-2022). Delegate of Portugal for the Health Security Committee and Committee on Cross-Border Healthcare, European Commission (2018 - 2022). Chair of the Portuguese National Immunization Technical Advisory Group for COVID-19 (2020-2022).
Gold Medal from Ministry of Health, Portugal, for Distinguished Services. Author and co-author of more than 100 peer-review papers, reports, abstracts, and book chapters.
LinkedIn
CEO of the Japan HPH Network, Co-Chair of the Scientific Committee
Dr Kondo Katsunori is a Professor of social epidemiology and health policy at the Center for Preventive Medical Sciences, Chiba University, Japan. He is also Director of the Department of Research at the Institute for Health Economics and Policy.
He is the author of bestselling books “Health Gap Society - what is undermining mental health and society?”, Igaku-Shoin, 2005 & 2022, which was awarded in 2006 by The Society for the Study of Social Policy.
He also wrote “Prescriptions for Health Gap Society”, Igaku-Shoin, 2017; and edited “Social Determinants of Health in Non-communicable Diseases – Case Studies from Japan”, Springer Singapore, 2020.
He has been honored with the Medical Award 2020 of the Japan Medical Association.
National Coordinator for the Swedish HPH Network and Chair of the International HPH Network
Ralph Harlid is a distinguished healthcare leader with extensive clinical experience in anesthesia and intensive care. He has served in various high-profile roles, including Healthcare Services Director in the region of Västra Götaland, Sweden. He is currently National Coordinator for the Swedish HPH network and Chair of the International HPH network.
His strategic leadership in health-promoting healthcare and his chairmanship of the Swedish branch of the international HPH-network highlight his commitment to health system improvements. An accomplished lecturer and author, Harlid has contributed significantly to medical education and practice, notably in intravenous anesthesia. He holds an MD and PhD from Gothenburg University Medical School and a specialization in anesthesia and intensive care.
Professor, Department of Medical Education, Juntendo University, Faculty of Medicine
Professor Takeda is a primary care physician by training. Her focus in teaching is health inequities and social disparities. She serves as a board member of the Japan Primary Care Association and chairs the SDH (Social Determinants of Health) Committee. She is also a board member of the Japan Society of Medical Education. She has been appointed Chief Editor of its journal, Medical Education (Japan), which enables her to promote teaching SDH. She participates in an outreach program for people in homelessness and collaborates with an NGO helping children whose parents are from overseas. She has been working to improve healthcare access for international residents by promoting “plain Japanese” among healthcare professionals. She is also eager to create a safer space for students and patients regardless of their sexual orientation and gender identity.
French Network for Addiction Prevention (RESPADD) & Coordinator of the French HPH Network
Marianne Hochet is a public health engineer and holds a diploma in addictology. After few months at the French National Public Health Agency, she has now been working for four years for the French Network for Addiction Prevention (RESPADD) in Paris. As resources and development manager, she is involved in most of the association projects and coordinates some of them on several topics like harm reduction for alcohol consumption or brief intervention in sexual health. She is also serving for the GNTH governance board about tobacco-free policy. Together with her team, she coordinates the French HPH Network and organized the 28th international HPH conference in Paris. Since 2022, she joined the HPH governance board.