Health and Social Issues

The WGHS works closely with organizations such as the Northern Dimension Partnership in Public Health and Social Well-being (NDPHS) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Members of the WGHS are Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. Both the central government level and the Barents regions in all four countries are represented. as well as the Working Group of Indigenous Peoples. The European Commission, the World Health Organization (WHO), the Nordic Council of Ministers and the Northern Dimension Partnership in Public Health and Social Well-being take part in the work when needed.

The Working Group on Health and related Social issues provides a political structure for health and social cooperation, in which representatives of the national and regional health authorities of the Barents countries meet twice a year to discuss relevant issues.

Finland holds the chairmanship of the WGHS together with Murmansk Region for the period 2022-2023.

The first Barents Health Ministers' Meeting took place in Oslo 12 November 2019.

Barents Framework Collaboration Programme on Health and Related Social issues 2020-2023

The WGHS prepares its own health and social programme for four years at a time. The current programme covers the period 2020-2023. The main priority areas of the programme are:

• Prevention and control of communicable diseases
• Improved health and increased access to health care in sparsely populated areas
• Improved environment for growth and development of children and youth
• Prevention and control of non-communicable diseases

Specialized programmes have been worked out by specialists on the request of the WGHS. The programmes can be seen as sub-programmes under the Barents Health Programme. These are:

Contacts

Finland

Sweden

Norway

Russia