The health of our children is the foundation of a bright future for the whole nation

The event THE FUTURE IS BUILDING TODAY! The health of a nation starts from the health of our children, held at the Victoria Palace under the patronage of the Prime Minister on September 23, 2024, underlined that only together can we build a strong, sustainable and resilient health system.

The debate brought together all actors that can contribute to the improvement of the Romanian health system in order to have the same common voice: ministries, Parliament, central and local authorities, diplomatic and academic circles, international and national organizations, professional and patient associations. From UNICEF's perspective, it is very important that the event brought together all parties that can contribute to children's health. Also noteworthy are the recognition of the efforts made, the achievements to date and the examples of good practice that can be scaled up at national level.

"Because the health of a nation starts with the health of our children! And for this reason, it is very important to focus both on prevention and health education, as well as on the existence of community-based services for children as well as parents. The future of our children depends on what each one of us does today", said Marcel Ciolacu, Prime Minister of Romania.

The topics discussed included: health policies implemented today for children and adolescents for future healthy adult years, with a focus on addressing the dangerous phenomenon of drug use among children and adolescents and mental health measures in the Action Plan for 2024-2029 in the field of mental health, a document developed by the working group set up at the Prime Minister's Office and approved by memorandum by the Romanian Government; health infrastructure and digitalization of the health system; doctor-patient relationship; human resources in health. During the discussions, examples of good practices were presented and the efforts made in the area of promoting the health of children and adolescents were recognized.

"I am happy that through this event we have managed to bring together all the actors that contribute to improving the Romanian healthcare system and we can outline a common action plan for our future. It is important to speak publicly about the importance of health and health education and to develop a long term strategy in this respect. We will continue to work on a daily basis to ensure that health care units, health professionals and patients benefit from the best medical standards and services. I have confidence in the Romanian healthcare system and in its staff", said Carmen Orban, State Counselor, Chancellery of the Prime Minister.

The event was also the occasion to launch the public awareness campaign on the importance of mental health of children and adolescents and family communication for emotional balance, developed through a partnership between the Government and UNICEF.

"Thirty-five years after the adoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, we need to continue striving to ensure that no child is deprived of his or her right of access to quality health care services. Amongst several health priorities, today we discussed the importance of mental health and psychosocial support at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence to adulthood. Poor mental health in childhood and adolescence prevents children from fulfilling their rights and reaching their true potential," said Anna Riatti, UNICEF Representative in Romania.

The mental health of children and adolescents has an impact on many aspects of their lives. According to UNICEF's snapshot on the mental health of children and adolescents in Romania, published in September 2022, in addition to stigmatization and social discrimination, in some cases, children and adolescents experiencing mental health problems are at risk of unhealthy and risky behaviors, such as smoking, alcohol and drug use or risky sexual behaviors. School performance can also be affected, for example, a child with conduct disorder who does not receive specialized intervention is twice as likely to drop out of school as a typically developing child.

During the event, participants were encouraged to contribute to the development of a national health strategy in order to have a monitoring and evaluation framework and a corresponding budget with funding from EU funds and from the state budget (for sustainability).