The health of the population has absolutely fundamental economic implications and plays an irreplaceable role in the economic success of all sectors, the whole country and, consequently, the whole of Europe. Countries – including the Czech Republic – should therefore consider investment in prevention and the promotion of healthy lifestyles as one of their absolute priorities. The participants of the Eurodebate of Ekonomický deník, Česká justice and Zdravotnický deník on the topic The Future of Europe – an Agenda for the New European Parliament and the European Commission, in which MEP Ondřej Knotek (ANO) and representatives of key industries – energy, automotive, transport and IT – discussed the topic, agreed.
MEP Ondřej Knotek (ANO) stressed in the Eurodebate that the health of the population is a factor that will play an increasingly important role in the performance of the European economy and its global competitiveness. „That is why it is essential to focus on prevention and early diagnosis,“ Knotek said, recalling that the European Cancer Plan has already taken steps in this direction. „And I expect that other European health strategies, such as the cardiovascular health strategy, will have a similar emphasis on prevention and early diagnosis,“ the MEP added.
Jiří Gavor, Managing Director of ENA s.r.o. and Director of the Association of Independent Energy Suppliers, also confirmed the fundamental impact of the health of the population on the economy. „It is said that health is the most valuable thing we have. And although it has primarily a personal dimension, the good health of the population undoubtedly also has its concrete economic impact, which can be expressed financially. Every manager will appreciate a reduction in employee sickness and better performance at work,“ said Gavor at the Eurodebate, who believes that investing in prevention, in promoting healthy lifestyles and in healthcare in general should therefore be a concern of any responsible government.
Let’s invest in health thoughtfully
Zdeněk Petzl, Executive Director of the Automotive Industry Association, also sees the impact of health on the success of his industry. „Investing in the health of employees, supporting research and innovation in the field of health and striving to maintain a healthy economic environment is a fundamental element of every company in the automotive sector today,“ he described in the debate. And he reminded us of the large population group he was talking about. „The automotive industry in the Czech Republic directly employs 180,000 people. Indirectly – including downstream industries – it is almost half a million employees. The health of this group of people, which contributes more than 9 percent of GDP to the domestic economy, is therefore a very important element of the national economy and the competitiveness of the Czech Republic,“ Petzl summarised.
Jan Sechter, chairman of the Transport Section of the Chamber of Commerce, also considers a healthy population one of the basic building blocks of the state and its economy. „The competitiveness or economic success of a country is the sum of many factors – and health is one of them. Healthcare, overall access to health care and prevention, as well as the promotion of sport from early childhood should have a fundamental place in society. It should not just be an expense of the state budget or part of the incidental labour costs of businesses, but a thoughtful investment. The Sokol motto ‚In a healthy body a healthy spirit‘ applies not only to the individual, but also to the health system as one of the important pillars of the state,“ Sechter presented his view in the discussion.
Jaromír Hanzal, director of the Association for Applied Research in IT, considers low healthy life expectancy to be one of the biggest health problems in the Czech Republic. „Our life expectancy is similar to that of Western Europe, but we are chronically ill much earlier. There is no doubt at all that this problem has a negative impact on our economy,“ told Hanzal in Eurodebate. And he added the positive information that the most important health research projects currently underway in the Czech Republic are directed towards lifestyle monitoring.
From the perspective of the energy sector, the demographic issue is even more of a concern than the health issue, Radek Škoda, head of Energy 4.0 at CIIRC CTU, pointed out in the Eurodebate. „The population of energy workers in the Czech Republic has an above-average percentage of older – and therefore sicker – year-olds. Moreover, these experienced workers will move into retirement in the next ten years, and the interest of students in secondary and higher education will not be sufficient for young people to replace them. Not to mention personnel for new energy sources,“ he said. Especially in the nuclear energy sector, he said, we may also encounter in the Czech Republic what was recently experienced in Abu Dhabi. „The new nuclear power plants built there could not be put into operation because they had to wait for tens of months before the necessary personnel could be found and trained,“ Škoda warned.
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Photo: Radek Čepelák
