Positioning health equity and the social determinants of health on the regional development agenda. Investment for health and development in Slovenia

The WHO Regional Office for Europe carries out national case studies to support the advancement of policy-relevant knowledge on tackling the social determinants of health and health inequity in the WHO European Region.

This report results from such a case study conducted in Slovenia from the late 1990s through the first decade of this century. It presents the models used as a framework for the analysis of the Slovene experience, describes the recent political, regional and historical background that shaped it, and traces how a policy on health equity was developed and implemented, including both challenges and achievements. It sums up how the country, by linking the policy domains of health equity and regional development, paved the way for intersectoral collaboration on these issues at the national and local levels.

With its summary of the key learning points for each phase of the period under study, the report can be used as a reference source for policy-makers and programme planners in other countries and in other policy domains.