Health aspects of the behaviour of the Czech population during the COVID-19 pandemic from a public health perspective.

The paper presents the outcomes of the WHO European Region research project, Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic and the First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University which concerned Czech population behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the Czech Republic the research was carried out in three waves on a representative sample of respondents using methodology of a questionnaire survey. The results showed that the risk perception in connection with the pandemic was low in the Czech environment, regardless of the growing number of infected and deceased. Optimism persisted about the perception of personal susceptibility to infection and self-efficacy. General wellbeing was above average after successfully coping with the first wave, but it decreased slightly in connection with the worsening of the pandemic situation. Compliance with preventive measures has been relatively low for a long time and the trend has been rather declining. By the time, it became increasingly difficult to understand the communication of state authorities regarding the measures being implemented, and trust in the media decreased. A positive finding was the increase in the proportion of those who tried to improve the lifestyle in connection with the pandemic.

Making the hospital care in the Czech Republic more effective through volunteering.

Volunteering in the health sector contributes to improving the quality of services and has positive benefits for the volunteers themselves and the health service providers, and especially for patients and their families, as well as for society. The aim of this article is to summarize the main findings of the evaluation of the project Efficiency of the hospital care system in the Czech Republic through volunteering (CZ.03 .3.X/0.0/0.0/15_018/0007517), which was implemented between 2019 and 2023 by the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic. The evaluation of the project was based on a combination of quantitative research (questionnaire surveys focused on the target groups of the project) and qualitative methods (individual and group interviews). The internal and external impact evaluation of the project shows significant changes in the short term for patients and their family members who use volunteering in healthcare, as well as for healthcare professionals and providers. The development of volunteering in healthcare and its effective coordination is a suitable and proven tool to support and improve the psychosocial aspect of care for hospitalized patients and a way to achieve the desired goals of the healthcare system.

Czech public health - past and present.

The article deals with the concept, development, and current state of public health in the Czech lands as a theoretical and practical scientific discipline, as it has been formed and profiled during more than two hundred years of history. It identifies five developmental stages, which briefly characterizes and introduces important representatives of the field at the time. It describes the transformation of public health care after 1989 and points out some of the consequences of institutional reduction associated with the weakening of the field, which became fully apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Alcohol as an issue of the public health in the Czech Republic: facts and context.

Alcohol consumption has a direct impact on the extent of the alcohol related damage, including health and quality of life impacts. Alcohol policy, especially the availability of alcoholic beverages, affects the overall alcohol consumption. The Czech Republic is a very liberal country in relation to alcohol consumption and is known for the widespread availability of cheap alcohol beverages. The Czech Republic is regularly ranked among countries with the highest per capita rate of alcohol consumption in international comparison. Excessive drinking of alcoholic beverages has a negative impact on health and socio-economic situation of a large part of the Czech population. Czech policy should be inspired by foreign experience which shows that limitation of  alcohol availability is an effective way of reducing overall alcohol consumption and related harms, including health impacts. Keywords: alcohol, alcohol policy, alcohol consumption, alcohol related damage, health of the Czech population.

[American healthcare system and the uncertain future of the Obamas reform]. / Americké zdravotnictví a nejistá budoucnost Obamovy reformy.

The United States differs from other developed countries in health care system which does not guarantee health care for the entire population. The right to health care is not considered a part of the basic human rights. There is much more emphasis on individual responsibility in insurance of health services that are essentially commercial in nature. The aim of this article is to inform on US health system and the measures underlying the recently introduced health reform, whose future development cannot be predicted at present.

Comparison of Alcohol Consumption and Alcohol Policies in the Czech Republic and Norway.

OBJECTIVE: The Czech Republic is characterized by high alcohol consumption and is well known as the world's biggest consumer of beer. In contrast, the alcohol consumption in Norway is relatively low. In this article, we describe and discuss alcohol policy development in the Czech Republic since the mid-1980s to the present and its impact on the alcohol consumption and compare our findings, including the dynamics of the total alcohol consumption and the development of drinking patterns among young people, with the situation in Norway. METHODS: The study uses the methodology of "process tracing". Selected national statistics, research outcomes and related policy documents were analyzed to identify possible relations between the alcohol consumption and the alcohol policy in two different environments and institutional/policy settings. RESULTS: There was a clear difference in alcohol consumption trends in both countries in the last three decades. Norway was characterized by low alcohol consumption with tendency to decline in the last years. In contrast, the Czech Republic showed an upward trend. In addition, alcohol consumption among Czech youth has been continuously increasing since 1995, whereas the opposite trend has occurred in Norway since the late 1990s. The results revealed that the alcohol-control policies of the Czech Republic and Norway were significantly different during the study period. Norway had a very restrictive alcohol policy, in contrast to the liberal alcohol policy adopted in the Czech Republic, in particular after political transition in 1990. Liberalization of social life together with considerable decline of alcohol price due to complete privatization of alcohol production and sale contributed to an increase of the alcohol consumption in the Czech Republic. CONCLUSIONS: Persistently high alcohol consumption among general population and its growth among young people in the Czech Republic pose social, economic and health threats. Norway could provide the inspiration to Czech politicians about effective options in combating these threats.

Migrants' health and access to healthcare in the Czech Republic.

The article is dealing with current state of Czech health policy in relation to migration. Overall migration information, available data on migrants' health status as well as accessibility of healthcare are provided. Some health risks connected with migration are mentioned and discussed. Authors concluded that the most urgent problem of Czech health policy in relation to migrants remains the insufficient guarantee of legal entitlement to health care. This concerns a large group of migrants with long-term residence, since the current legal regulation is disadvantageous to migrants coming from countries outside the EU.